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Anterior cusp of aortic valve: anatomy, location and function

The anterior cusp is one of the three semilunar cusps of the aortic valve, lying toward the front of the aortic root. With the other two cusps it closes during ventricular relaxation and stops blood flowing back into the left ventricle.

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Highlighted in the model: Anterior cusp of aortic valve. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Anterior cusp of aortic valve at a glance

What it is
The anterior cusp is one of the three semilunar cusps of the aortic valve, lying toward the front of the aortic root.
Location
It sits at the junction of the left ventricle and the ascending aorta. Its sinus gives rise to the right coronary artery, so it is the same cusp as the right coronary cusp. "Anterior" is the older name based on its adult position.
Function
With the other two cusps it closes during ventricular relaxation and stops blood flowing back into the left ventricle.
Body system
Cardiovascular · single, midline structure
FMA ID
FMA7253 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • The aortic valve has three cusps: right, left and posterior (non-coronary).
  • The right coronary cusp lies closest to the right ventricular outflow tract and the membranous septum.

Clinical relevance

Aortic stenosis or regurgitation may arise from cusp calcification or damage.

Structures next to the anterior cusp of aortic valve

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Anterior cusp of aortic valve (FMA7253). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §20.1 Structure and Function of Blood Vessels. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.