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Anterior cusp of pulmonary valve: anatomy, location and function

Two of the three semilunar cusps of the pulmonary valve, named anterior in the older adult-position terminology used by this model: the right anterior cusp is the right cusp and the left anterior cusp is the anterior cusp of current terminology. They close after right ventricular contraction so blood cannot flow back from the pulmonary trunk into the right ventricle.

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Highlighted in the model: Anterior cusp of pulmonary 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 pulmonary valve at a glance

What it is
Two of the three semilunar cusps of the pulmonary valve, named anterior in the older adult-position terminology used by this model: the right anterior cusp is the right cusp and the left anterior cusp is the anterior cusp of current terminology.
Location
The pulmonary valve sits at the top of the right ventricular outflow tract (infundibulum), in front of and slightly to the left of the aortic valve, at about the level of the left third costal cartilage.
Function
They close after right ventricular contraction so blood cannot flow back from the pulmonary trunk into the right ventricle.
Body system
Cardiovascular · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA7247 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Terminologia Anatomica names the pulmonary cusps right, left and anterior, after their fetal positions; rotation of the outflow tracts during development moves them to right anterior, posterior and left anterior positions in the adult, which is what the model's names describe.
  • Unlike the aortic valve, no coronary arteries arise from the pulmonary sinuses.

Clinical relevance

The pulmonary valve is best heard in the left second intercostal space beside the sternum; pulmonary stenosis is a common congenital heart defect and part of tetralogy of Fallot.

Structures next to the anterior cusp of pulmonary 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 pulmonary valve (FMA7247). 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.