Heart valve | |
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Details | |
System | Cardiovascular |
Identifiers | |
MeSH | D006351 |
FMA | 7110 |
Anatomical terminology |
A heart valve is a biological one-way valve that allows blood to flow in one direction through the chambers of the heart. A mammalian heart usually has four valves. Together, the valves determine the direction of blood flow through the heart. Heart valves are opened or closed by a difference in blood pressure on each side.[1][2][3]
The mammalian heart has two atrioventricular valves separating the upper atria from the lower ventricles: the mitral valve in the left heart, and the tricuspid valve in the right heart. The two semilunar valves are at the entrance of the arteries leaving the heart. These are the aortic valve at the aorta, and the pulmonary valve at the pulmonary artery.
The heart also has a coronary sinus valve and an inferior vena cava valve, not discussed here.