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Posterior cusp of aortic valve: anatomy, location and function

Two of the three semilunar cusps of the aortic valve, named posterior in the older adult-position terminology used by this model: the left posterior cusp is the left coronary cusp and the right posterior cusp is the non-coronary cusp. With the anterior (right coronary) cusp they close during ventricular relaxation and stop blood flowing back into the left ventricle.

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Highlighted in the model: Posterior 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.

Posterior cusp of aortic valve at a glance

Also called
Left coronary cusp (left posterior) and non-coronary cusp (right posterior)
What it is
Two of the three semilunar cusps of the aortic valve, named posterior in the older adult-position terminology used by this model: the left posterior cusp is the left coronary cusp and the right posterior cusp is the non-coronary cusp.
Location
They lie in the back of the aortic root at the junction of the left ventricle and ascending aorta. The left coronary artery arises from the sinus above the left posterior cusp; no artery arises above the right posterior (non-coronary) cusp, which faces the interatrial septum.
Function
With the anterior (right coronary) cusp they close during ventricular relaxation and stop blood flowing back into the left ventricle.
Body system
Cardiovascular · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA7254 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Current Terminologia Anatomica names the aortic cusps right, left and posterior; these correspond to the older anterior, left posterior and right posterior cusps.
  • The non-coronary and left coronary cusps are continuous with the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve through the fibrous aortic-mitral curtain.

Clinical relevance

Calcification of the cusps causes aortic stenosis; a bicuspid aortic valve, present in about 1–2% of people, usually results from fusion of the right and left coronary cusps.

Structures next to the posterior 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: Posterior cusp of aortic valve (FMA7254). 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.