Fig. 14

Normal aortic valve in short axis. a Closed aortic valve demonstrates normal coaptation of the leaflets in diastole at 70% of the R-R interval. Three raphe lines are visible within the valve (arrowheads). b Aortic valve opens with a triangular shape, demonstrating three independent leaflets at 30% of the R-R interval. The presence of a trileaflet valve can only be confirmed by demonstrating this normal systolic opening