
Dennis S. answered 02/21/24
Medical Student with 6+ years of tutoring and MCAT prep experience
When in doubt of an anatomy question, try to break down the name of the structure for hints. The "aortic" semilunar valve tells us that this valve is located in the aorta.
To quickly review the main structures of the heart, there are 4 chambers: the left and right atria, and the left and right ventricles. Starting on the right side of the heart, blood enters the right atrium and passes to the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve. It then leaves the right ventricle into the pulmonary arteries through the pulmonary semilunar valve to receive oxygen from the lungs and returns to the left atrium. Blood then passes from the left atrium into the left ventricle through the mitral valve. It is then squeezed out of the left ventricle into the aorta through the aortic semilunar valve and is spread to the rest of the body to deliver oxygen.
To summarize the flow of blood:
right atrium -> tricuspid valve -> right ventricle -> pulmonary semilunar valve -> pulmonary arteries -> pulmonary veins -> left atrium -> mitral valve -> left ventricle -> aortic semilunar valve -> aorta