Valvula Eustachii

Eustachian valve (here called Valve of inf.vena cava ) in a sectional view of the right heart (from: Gray's Anatomy )

The Valvula Eustachii (also Eustachian valve or Valvula venae cavae inferioris ) is a valve-shaped extension on the front and middle circumference of the confluence of the inferior vena cava into the right auricle .

It was named after Bartolomeo Eustachi , who first described it.

In the fetal blood circulation it is used to direct the blood flow in the direction of the foramen ovale in order to guide the blood directly from the right to the left atrium and thus bypass the pulmonary circulation that was not fully developed prenatally . With the birth and the first breaths of the newborn there is a functional closure of the foramen ovale, so that the Eustachian valve also loses its function in the bloodstream, but remains as a relic.

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