This document provides recommendations for evaluating the patient, including risk of aneurysm rupture and associated med- ical co-morbidities, guidelines for selecting surgical or endovascular intervention, intraoperative strategies, perioperative care, long-term follow-up, and treatment of late complications.

Decision making related to the care of patients with AAA is complex. Aneurysms present with varying risks of rupture and patient specific factors influence anticipated life expectancy, operative risk, and the need to intervene. Careful attention to the choice of operative strategy, as influenced by anatomic features of the AAA, along with optimal treatment of medical co-morbidities is critical to achieving excellent outcomes. Moreover, appropriate postoperative patient surveillance and timely intervention in the case of a late complication is necessary to minimize subsequent aneurysm-related death or morbidity. All of these clinical decisions are determined in an environment where cost-effectiveness will ultimately dictate the ability to provide optimal care to the largest possible segment of the population. Currently available clinical data sets have been reviewed in formulating these recommendations. However, an important goal of this document is to clearly identify those areas where further clinical research is necessary.