Distal
Distal refers to sites located away from a reference point. The hand is distal to the shoulder. The thumb is distal to the wrist. Usually, that reference point is the center or midline of the body.
Review Date:
1/18/2007
Reviewd By:
Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.