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| Aortic sinus | |
|---|---|
 Aorta laid open to show thesemilunar valves. (N.B. captions don't align with current terminology) | |
| Details | |
| Synonyms | sinus of Valsalva |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | sinus aortae |
| MeSH | D012850 |
| TA98 | A12.2.03.002 |
| TA2 | 4001 |
| FMA | 3745 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Anaortic sinus, also known as asinus of Valsalva,[1] is one of the anatomic dilations of theascending aorta, which occurs just above theaortic valve. These widenings are between the wall of theaorta and each of the three cusps of the aortic valve.[2]
The aortic sinuses causeeddies which prevent the valve cusps from touching the internal surface of the aorta and obstructing the openings of the coronary arteries.[3]
There are generally three aortic sinuses, oneanterior and twoposterior sinuses. These give rise tocoronary arteries:[4][better source needed]
The aortic sinuses are typically more prominent than the pulmonary sinuses.[5]
If the coronary arteries arise from the wrong aortic sinuses, this can put the heart'sventricles at risk ofischaemia.[6] This is often only discovered when aheart attack has already occurred, usually before the age of 20 and duringexercise.[6]
Each aortic sinus can also be referred to as thesinus of Valsalva,[1] thesinus of Morgagni, thesinus of Mehta, thesinus of Otto, orPetit's sinus.
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