Dawn Jemison, a 43-year-old resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana, received a diagnosis and treatment for pelvic congestion syndrome after living with chronic pain for 32 years. Jemison, who began experiencing symptoms at age 11, identified her condition by chance while working as a restaurant server in January 2025 for a group including medical professionals and healthcare sales representatives discussing a similar patient case.
For decades, Jemison sought medical attention for severe pain ranging from her ribcage to her pelvis, along with leg swelling. She had previously been diagnosed with anemia and lupus, and some doctors suggested her symptoms were related to puberty or endometriosis. In December 2024, after various treatments and exploratory procedures proved unsuccessful, Jemison requested a hysterectomy.
Following her encounter with the medical group in January 2025, interventional cardiologist Dr. Abigail Qin-Nelson performed a venogram, an imaging test used to examine veins. The test revealed that Jemison's iliac vein, which moves blood from the legs and pelvis to the heart, was 76% compressed in one area, while another vein had a 52% blockage. Qin-Nelson treated the condition by using a catheter to place two Medtronic AbreStents to reopen the blockages.
The scale of the intervention involved specific blockages: a 76% compression in the iliac vein and a 52% blockage in another vein. The patient reported that after the placement of two stents and a follow-up procedure to cauterize alternate vein pathways, her daily pain level dropped to zero. For a patient who had experienced pain almost every day for 32 years, this represents a shift from waking up in "stabbing pain" to being able to perform daily activities like gardening or walking in a park.
This treatment used interventional cardiology techniques, such as stenting, to address pelvic pain. It highlights the role of vascular blockages, where blood pools in the veins instead of returning to the heart, as a potential source of chronic discomfort. Jemison, now one year removed from the procedures, will continue to receive routine monitoring from Dr. Qin-Nelson to ensure the condition does not return.