Aortic valve

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Scheme of the human heart
Top view of the aortic valve in the closed and open state with functional sketch on the side
Aortic valve in 3D ultrasound

The aortic valve ( Valva aortae ) is one of the four heart valves . It lies in the aorta , directly at its origin from the left ventricle and prevents the blood from flowing back at the beginning of the relaxation phase ( diastole ) of the heart.

As a pocket valve, the aortic valve usually consists of three crescent-shaped pockets ( valvulae ), which form the intima (the innermost layer of the blood vessels ):

  • Valvula semilunaris dextra (right crescent-shaped pocket)
  • Valvula semilunaris sinistra (left crescent-shaped pocket)
  • Valvula semilunaris septalis (crescent-shaped pocket facing the ventricular septum)

The flap is located with their bulges (sine wave) in the initial part of the ascending aorta ( the ascending aorta ). In German, the pockets are designated according to the branches of the two coronary arteries from the associated sinuses: right coronary pocket (at the exit of the right coronary artery), left coronary pocket (at the exit of the left coronary artery) and acoronary pocket (sinus without departing coronary artery). In humans, the aortic valve forms together with the pulmonary valve in the 5th to 7th week of embryonic development . Sometimes the aortic valve consists of just two pocket valves.

If the valve no longer closes tightly, one speaks of aortic valve insufficiency . Insufficient opening is called aortic stenosis . Both functional disorders require the heart to work harder to pump and lead to an overload of the heart muscle. Today they can mostly be treated with an aortic valve reconstruction . In the case of severe calcifications and acquired aortic valve insufficiency, however, a heart valve replacement is usually necessary. In the Bentall operation , the aortic valve, the aortic root and the ascending aorta are replaced by prostheses.

literature

  • Uwe Gille: Cardiovascular and immune system, Angiologia. In: Franz-Viktor Salomon, Hans Geyer, Uwe Gille (Ed.): Anatomy for veterinary medicine. 2nd, revised and expanded edition. Enke, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-8304-1075-1 , pp. 404-463.