Fig. 1

Aortic valve complex: schematic representation and correlation with transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). The aortic valve complex is a formation consisting of the aortic valve annulus, commissures and sinotubular junction (STJ). Three aortic valve cusps are connected proximally to the wall of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) by three anchor points at the nadir (hinge point) of each aortic cusp. Those nadir points, when virtually connected, form an oval-shaped, three-pronged coronet—the “virtual basal ring”