The
pulmonary valve (sometimes referred to as the
pulmonic valve) is the
semilunar valve of the heart that lies between the
right ventricle and the
pulmonary artery and has three cusps. Similar to the
aortic valve, the pulmonary valve opens in
ventricular systole, when the pressure in the right ventricle rises above the pressure in the pulmonary artery. At the end of ventricular systole, when the pressure in the right ventricle falls rapidly, the pressure in the pulmonary artery will close the pulmonary valve.