This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Aortic valve

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The aortic valve is the structure sited between the left ventricle and the aorta that permits blood flow in only one direction, from the former to the latter. Like the pulmonary valve, it has three half-moon shaped valve leaflets.

In diastole, the leaflets of the valve are tightly apposed and form a concavity with their sinuses that is bounded by their respective free margins. The ejected column of blood is maintained above the valve by the apposition of the leaflets. During this phase, blood leaves the left and right sinuses via the coronary ostia of the coronary arteries.

During systole, the valve leaflets move apart and the elasticity of the sinus walls permits the pressure wave to distend the diameter of the valve. The aperture of the valve becomes triangular in shape but the leaflets do not touch the sinus walls due to small vortices of blood flow which develop in the sinuses. This movement of blood within the sinuses is important to ensure that the leaflets do not adhere to the sinus walls, so rendering the valve incompetent.

Pathology of the aortic valve is relatively common e.g. congential abnormalities of the leaflets, rheumatic and infective damage.


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.