Doctors call the mitral and tricuspid valves the atrioventricular valves, and the aortic and pulmonic valves the semilunar valves. Keep reading to learn more about each of the four heart valves.

The semilunar valves stop the back flow of blood into the heart. There is a semilunar valve where the aorta leaves the left ventricle and another where the pulmonary artery leaves the right ventricle.