Tricuspid valveIt lies between the right atrium and the right ventricle. It is also called the right atrioventricular valve.
Mitral valveIt lies between the left atrium and the left ventricle. It is also called the bicuspid valve or the left atrioventricular valve.
Aortic valveIt sits at the base of the aorta. It stops blood flowing back into the left ventricle. It has three cusps.
Pulmonary valveIt sits at the base of the pulmonary trunk. It stops blood flowing back into the right ventricle. It is also called the pulmonic valve.
Cardiac skeletonDense connective tissue with four rings, one round each valve opening. The valves are attached to it.
The cusps 5
Anterior cusp of the mitral valveIt lies between the mitral opening and the aortic opening. It is fixed to about a third of the ring.
Posterior cusp of the mitral valveIt lies behind and to the left. It is fixed to about two thirds of the ring.
Anterior cusp of the tricuspid valveOne of the three cusps of the tricuspid valve. The front of the heart is at the top of the picture.
Posterior cusp of the tricuspid valveLies toward the right edge of the ventricle. One of the three cusps of the tricuspid valve.
Septal cuspIt lies against the ventricular septum. This wall divides the two ventricles. It is also called the medial cusp.
Cords and muscles 2
Chordae tendineaeStrong strands of connective tissue. They join each cusp to a papillary muscle.
Papillary muscleIt pulls on the chordae tendineae when the ventricle contracts. So the cusps are not pushed back into the atrium.
Listening areas 4
Aortic areaRight of the sternum, in the second intercostal space.
Pulmonic areaLeft of the sternum, in the second intercostal space.
Tricuspid areaThe fourth intercostal space, at the left edge of the sternum.
Mitral areaOn the left midclavicular line, in the fifth intercostal space. It is also called the apical area.
How this list was compiled: Every name and place checked on 2026-09-30. The four valves, their other names, the cusps as flaps, the chordae tendineae, the papillary muscles and the cardiac skeleton with its four rings: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, section 19.1 Heart Anatomy, https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/19-1-heart-anatomy, and Wikipedia, Heart valve, Cardiac skeleton, Tricuspid valve and Mitral valve, text only. The names of the cusps of the mitral and tricuspid valves: Wikipedia, Heart valve, and Gray's Anatomy (1918, public domain), The Heart, https://www.bartleby.com/107/138.html. The four listening areas and their rib spaces: Open RN Nursing Skills, 9.3 Cardiovascular Assessment, https://wtcs.pressbooks.pub/nursingskills/chapter/9-3-cardiovascular-assessment/, and Wikipedia, Heart sounds; OpenStax 19.3 Cardiac Cycle shows the same four places in a figure. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry, after the layout of Gray's Anatomy (1918, public domain) figure 495; nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
Four drawings: the heart from above with the atria removed, the mitral and tricuspid valves enlarged, the right ventricle cut open, and the chest from the front. In the first two the front of the chest is at the top.
Read the full guide
Four drawings, in order
Numbers 1 to 5 are the valves from above: the pulmonary valve at the front, the aortic valve behind it, the mitral valve on the left of the picture and the tricuspid valve on the right, each in a ring of the cardiac skeleton. Numbers 6 to 10 are the cusps of the mitral and tricuspid valves. Numbers 11 and 12 are the cords and a muscle inside the ventricle. Numbers 13 to 16 are the listening areas on the chest; the dashed line runs down from the middle of the collarbone.
Tricuspid: three cusps, on the right side of the heart. Mitral, or bicuspid: two cusps, on the left.
The aortic and pulmonary valves have no chordae tendineae and no papillary muscles.
Questions and answers
What are the four heart valves?
The tricuspid valve, between the right atrium and right ventricle; the pulmonary valve, at the base of the pulmonary trunk; the mitral valve, between the left atrium and left ventricle; and the aortic valve, at the base of the aorta.
Which heart valves are atrioventricular valves?
The tricuspid and mitral valves, which lie between the atria and the ventricles. The aortic and pulmonary valves, at the openings into the two great arteries, are the semilunar valves.
Where are the listening areas for the heart valves?
Aortic: the second space between the ribs, right of the sternum. Pulmonic: the second space, left of the sternum. Tricuspid: the fourth space at the left edge of the sternum. Mitral: the fifth space on the left, below the middle of the collarbone.
What do the chordae tendineae do?
They join the cusps of the mitral and tricuspid valves to the papillary muscles. When the ventricle contracts the muscles pull the cords tight, so the cusps are not pushed back into the atrium.