Distal refers to sites located away from a specific area, most often the center of the body. In medicine, it refers to parts of the body further away from the center. For example, the hand is distal to the shoulder. The thumb is distal to the wrist.
Distal is the opposite of proximal.
References
Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. Distal. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company; 2017. www.tabers.com/tabersonline/view/Tabers-Dictionary/740018/0/distal?q=Distal&ti=0. Accessed February 7, 2017.
Review Date 1/26/2017
Updated by: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
