Why I use both prospective randomized trials and registry data when choosing the personalized treatment of an AAA patient

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been the core of level 1 data in medical and surgical science for at least the last three decades. However, frequently patient selection is very narrow, anatomic criteria do not match real-world experience, and much of the work is done in selected academic centers. We use RCTs to help explain the rational for intervention and then rely on longitudinal registries and single center data to give the patients a real-world expectation concerning outcomes and complications in our hands.