Question:
What is the difference between proximal and distal RNY's?

The surgeon I am going to see has had many patients post on this board. Where it says "type of surgery" they say "RNY - proximal" or "RNY - distal"? I can't find anything on those two words. I do, however, know what RNY is.    — kelly D. (posted on September 2, 2002)

September 2, 2002
Normally I'm not a "go look in the library" person. But for this particular topic, there are lots of good answers already there. You can read those, and maybe gather yet more answers here. You can never have too much info, IMHO. http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/showtopicquestions.phtml?Topic=Pre-Op+Surgery+Types I'm a DISTAL RNY, myself.
   — vitalady

September 2, 2002
I think it has to do with how many feet of intenstine was bypassed. I have heard that those who have distal, tend to lose faster and more weight, but have higher nutritional deficiencies than those who are proximal. I am not completely sure about this though. I would take Michelle's advice and check out the library.
   — Shawnie S.

September 2, 2002
Hi. No offense, but that answer about the stomach being moved is SO INCORRECT! PLEASE be careful not to post misinformation. NO INFO is often better than WRONG INFO. The differences between distal and proximal RNY procedures get covered about once every two weeks on this Q & A board and as Michelle suggests, are available in the "library" section of this site. The terms refer to the length of ileum that is left after the gastric bypass. The shorter the amount of ileum, the more "distal" a procedure is considered. The more distal, the more malabsorption and apparently the more weight loss occurs. Hope this helps. For more information, type in "distal RNY" in any search engine. Good luck!
   — Rebecca T.

September 2, 2002
Proximal is approx 100-150 centimeters of intestine bypassed, and distal is more than 150 centimeters. Each doctor bypasses a different amount. Those with more to lose usually get a distal. The more bypassed, the more malabsorbtion.
   — Cindy R.