Valve of Vieussens

Last revised by Joachim Feger on 16 Dec 2021

The valve of Vieussens is one of two valves of the coronary sinus, which can be found at the junction to the great cardiac vein in the majority of individuals and might be of clinical importance for specific cardiac catheterization procedures.

It can be found in 60-90% of individuals 1-3. In the majority of cases, the valve features one leaflet. In a lesser proportion of individuals, two leaflets are present and only in a minority are three leaflets found.  A concave shape seems to be more common than a flat leaflet 3.

On cardiac CT the valve can be visualized as a hypodense structure sticking out from the junction of the great cardiac vein into the lumen of the coronary sinus 1-4.

The valve of Vieussens may constitute an important obstacle to catheterization procedures e.g. in cardiac resynchronization therapy, if it is large, and may cause serious complications such as vessel perforation and cardiac tamponade 2,3.

The valve is named after the French anatomist and doctor Raymond de Vieussens (1641-1715) 3.

ADVERTISEMENT: Supporters see fewer/no ads

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.