Variability of small bowel length: Correlation with height, waist circumference, and gender

Abstract

First year medical students are always under impression that the small bowel length is almost 6 meters or more, as they have studied it in their textbooks; and when they try to measure, it does not always correspond with it. Knowledge of variable lengths of small bowel is important not just for an academic interest but it has implications in different surgical and other procedures related with small bowel length. In the present study, the height, waist circumference, and small bowel length was measured in 111 formalin-fixed cadavers (73 males and 38 females) from Indian population, and correlation of small bowel length to height, waist circumference and gender was searched, which showed small bowel length of 218-500 cm with a mean of 336.54 cm; the small bowel was significantly longer in males than that in females ((p<0.05). Height and small bowel length showed moderately positive correlation with each other while waist circumference and small bowel length showed a strong positive reciprocal correlation. Linear regression analysis showed statistically significant relationship for both. Central obesity showed no correlation with small bowel length in males (R=0.049) and weak correlation in females (R=0.281). Small bowel length/height ratio as well as small bowel length/waist circumference ratio did not show statistically significant differences in either gender. Small bowel length in Indian population was found to be less than that reported in western studies or medical textbooks - a relevant finding - to be considered in application of different procedures and surgery of small intestine in Indian individuals.