The aortic valve controls the flow of blood leaving the left ventricle and has three cusps: the right coronary cusp, the left coronary cusp, and the non-coronary cusp. The top, left image shows the short axis view of the aortic valve under direct visualization, with the cusps highlighted in red, green, and blue, respectively. The bottom, left video shows the direct visualization of the aortic valve, as viewed from the aorta, throughout the cardiac cycle. The corresponding echocardiography view is shown in the upper right image, with the valve cusps colored using the same scheme. Finally, the bottom, right video shows a short axis view of the aortic valve using transthoracic echocardiography.

The long axis view of the aortic valve allows for imaging of several important anatomical features. These include the aortic valve leaflets, the sinus of Valsalva, and the sinotubular junction. Color flow echocardiography can be utilized to visualize the flow through the aortic valve in this view.

The sinus of Valsalva contains two ostia; the left coronary ostium and the right coronary ostium. The left coronary ostium immediately branches into the left anterior descending coronary artery and the circumflex artery. Both of these ostia can be viewed using an appropriately angled short axis echocardiography view.