Abdominal aortic aneurysms are one of the top ten causes of death in men over the age of 55, and upstate New York has higher rates of this condition than the rest of the country. Researchers are now working on patient-specific diagnosis and treatment, as the Innovation Trail's Kate O'Connell reports.

Dr. Ankur Chandra, a lead investigator at the University of Rochester's Cardio-Vascular Engineering Lab (CVEL), says the prevalence of aortic aneurysms and ruptures in upstate New York points to a need for increased screening. One thing about the Western New York and upstate region that's critically important is that the prevalence, meaning the number of patients in this region with aortic aneurysms is unusually high when compared with the rest of the country, Chandra says.