MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Proximal

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Proximal

Contents of this page:
Illustrations	Definition

Illustrations

Anatomical landmarks, back view

Anatomical landmarks, front view

Definition Return to top

Proximal means nearer to the center (trunk of the body) or to the point of attachment to the body. If another reference point is given, such as the heart, the proximal point of another organ or extremity is the point closest to the heart -- central rather than peripheral.

Update Date: 1/22/2007

Updated 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.

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