ABSTRACT
The cardiac valves are intimately related: their juxtaposition and proximity is best appreciated in the short-axis view at the level of the atrioventricular (AV) junctions. The pulmonary valve is the most superior, whilst the tricuspid and mitral valves guard the diaphragmatic border. Cradled by these structures is the aortic valve whose central location underpins the understanding of cardiac surgical anatomy.
