Aortic sinus
Encyclopedia
An aortic sinus is one of the anatomic dilations of the ascending aorta
, which occurs just above the aortic valve
.
There are generally three aortic sinuses, the left posterior, the right posterior and the anterior.
Each aortic sinus can also be referred to as the sinus of Valsalva, the sinus of Morgagni, the sinus of Otto, or Petit's sinus.
Ascending aorta
The ascending aorta is a portion of the aorta commencing at the upper part of the base of the left ventricle, on a level with the lower border of the third costal cartilage behind the left half of the sternum; it passes obliquely upward, forward, and to the right, in the direction of the heart’s...
, which occurs just above the aortic valve
Aortic valve
The aortic valve is one of the valves of the heart. It is normally tricuspid , although in 1% of the population it is found to be congenitally bicuspid . It lies between the left ventricle and the aorta....
.
There are generally three aortic sinuses, the left posterior, the right posterior and the anterior.
- The left anterior aortic sinus gives rise to the left coronary arteryLeft coronary arteryThe left coronary artery, abbreviated LCA and also known as the left main coronary artery , arises from the aorta above the left cusp of the aortic valve.-Branching:...
. - The right anterior aortic sinus gives rise to the right coronary arteryRight coronary arteryThe right coronary artery originates above the right cusp of the aortic valve. It travels down the right atrioventricular groove, towards the crux of the heart.At the origin of the RCA is the conus artery....
. - Usually, no vessels arise from the posterior aortic sinus, which is therefore known as the non-coronary sinus.
Each aortic sinus can also be referred to as the sinus of Valsalva, the sinus of Morgagni, the sinus of Otto, or Petit's sinus.