Which valve is also known as the mitral valve?

Which valve is also known as the mitral valve?

• A. Tricuspid valve
• B. Aortic valve
• C. Pulmonary valve
• D. Bicuspid valve (mitral valve)

Answer: (D)

This question tests which heart valve carries the name mitral. The mitral valve is the valve between the left atrium and the left ventricle on the heart’s left side, and it has two leaflets. Because two leaflets are present, it’s also called the bicuspid valve. This two-cusped, left‑sided valve helps prevent blood from flowing backward into the left atrium when the left ventricle contracts. In contrast, the valve between the right atrium and right ventricle is the tricuspid valve, which has three leaflets. The valves that let blood exit the ventricles—the aortic valve and the pulmonary valve—are semilunar valves, each with three cusps. So the mitral valve is the same as the bicuspid valve.

This question tests which heart valve carries the name mitral. The mitral valve is the valve between the left atrium and the left ventricle on the heart’s left side, and it has two leaflets. Because two leaflets are present, it’s also called the bicuspid valve. This two-cusped, left‑sided valve helps prevent blood from flowing backward into the left atrium when the left ventricle contracts.

In contrast, the valve between the right atrium and right ventricle is the tricuspid valve, which has three leaflets. The valves that let blood exit the ventricles—the aortic valve and the pulmonary valve—are semilunar valves, each with three cusps. So the mitral valve is the same as the bicuspid valve.