Question:
My surgeon says that he does all of his RNY's with a long limb which is called distal

He bypasses about 100cm of the intestines. What are the norms for distal?    — YvonneBryant (posted on June 3, 2002)

June 3, 2002
Hi, I was told that distal starts at 150 and is possible to go up to 200 however very rarely will a surgeon go that much. That's just what was told to me though. Good Luck with your surgery.
   — Tammy B.

June 3, 2002
Actually, 100 cm is considered proximal by most standards. That's about 3 feet bypassed. The figures vary, but it seems the general rule is anything over 150 cm is considered distal. It really depends on the surgeon what their criteria is, but many surgeons will bypass more for the higher weight patients, and some will do no more than 100 cm because of the nutritional risks. Just like some surgeons still won't transect the stomach the first time out. JMO, of course, but those docs are risking a second operation for the patient down the road in the event of a staple line disruption. You can talk to 3 surgeons, and you'll get 3 different opinions. So just go with who you're most comfortable with.
   — Leslie F.

June 3, 2002
100cm is actually 50 inches which is a little over 4 feet. I had 100cm's removed and my surgeoun considers it proximal. From everything I've read, distal starts at 150cm. Best of luck to you.
   — juliehedges

June 3, 2002
I had always heard that approximately 30 centimeters = 1 foot. I found an online metric converter at http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/conversions.html, and it said this: 100 Centimeters equals 39.3701 Inches. That means 100cm is just over 3 feet, so the approximation of 30c = 1' would be accurate.
   — GGinMA

June 4, 2002
I was told that proximal was about 70cm, my long-limbed was 150cm and was told that distal was around 600cm. I had been concerned because I didn't want distal at all.
   — Leah H.