by Noah Fromson
A Texas man walks five miles a day on a “new leg,” a minimally invasive vascular procedure to restore blood flow to blocked vessels.
Jeff Elliott, 46, suffered years of pain and swelling in his legs due to inferior vena cava atresia.
This rare vascular anomaly occurs when the veins that carry blood from the lower half of the body to the heart become blocked.
“Anything is hard to do,” said Elliott, who lives outside Austin, Texas.
“I would swing one swollen leg in front of the other as I walked. I felt like my skin was splitting.”
Elliott didn’t learn about his condition until his early 30s.
Doctors discovered it during a procedure to remove a deep vein thrombosis — a blood clot common in people with IVC atresia — from her leg.
For years, her local care providers said they couldn’t correct the problem.
Blood flowed through his arteries to his legs but could not return efficiently.
By evening, his veins swelled and his legs swelled to twice their normal size.
Elliott walked a few miles a day to stay active as his symptoms worsened.
By 2024, he couldn’t even sit in a chair.
“Pushing myself was my survival strategy,” he said.
“I woke up depressed knowing that I would feel worse with every step. At one point, I considered amputation.”
A photo of Elliott’s swollen leg from an appointment in 2024.
I want hope and treatment
In October 2024, Elliott’s wife, Sara, found a Facebook group for people with IVC problems.
With the help of the community, he developed a list of specialists across the United States who treat the condition.
Elliott said many doctors refused to treat him because of a stent in his pelvic vein that was incorrectly placed during a past procedure at an outside hospital.
Finally, she met a woman on a Facebook group who suggested she contact University of Michigan Health’s Minhaj S. Khawaja, MD, MBA, an interventional radiologist and member of the Frankel Cardiovascular Center’s Multidisciplinary Venous Health Program.
“He got back to me within days with a plan and two backup plans,” Elliott said.
“A lot of people told me they couldn’t do it because it seemed too good to be true.”
After consulting with the Venous Health Program team, including vascular surgeon Andrea Obi, MD, Khawaja decided to treat Elliott using a minimally invasive technique, including sharp venous recanalization.
In conventional venous recanalization, an interventional radiologist uses a catheter and wire to pass through the blocked veins and create enough space to place the stent.
Sharp reconstruction requires the procedure to use a needle to pass through very difficult obstacles before opening the veins.
“We had to use a guide needle to poke through a stent that was blocking Mr. Elliott’s closed vein,” said Khawaja, a professor of radiology and cardiac surgery at the University of Michigan Medical School.
“The process is very complicated, but we were cautiously confident that we could offer a solution to relieve him after years of pain.”
Left: Elliott and his wife, Sarah, at the State Theater in Ann Arbor. Right: Elliott with Obi (left) and Khawaja (right). Credit: Jeff Elliott
The intervention, which lasted 9 hours, took place in March 2025.
Obi then performed a procedure to remove some of the diseased veins in Elliot’s leg and redirect blood flow to healthy channels in October 2025.
He was also prepared to pursue a surgical route if the intervention failed.
“Having a multidisciplinary group allows us to weigh every possible option between medical, endoscopic and open surgical procedures,” Obi said.
“We can then guide the patient to the best possible options and backup options according to their preferences.”
A new beginning with new legs
Elliott says he felt the benefits of a successful procedure almost immediately.
He would walk laps on the floor with nurses while recovering in the hospital.
A year later, he was walking five miles a day and doing regular weight training.
“It’s like having new legs,” he said. “Every day, I’m so grateful. I go to bed and I can still see my ankles and knee caps. I can’t believe it.”
OB removed more diseased veins from Elliott’s legs and abdomen last fall, and he will return to UM Health next month for another round of treatments.
She has since referred several people with IVC problems to the Venus Health program.
In addition to his trips to Ann Arbor, Elliott is an avid adventure motorcyclist who does many backcountry rides around the United States.
In February 2026, he made a return trip to Pinto Canyon near Big Bend National Park in Texas, one of his final stops before the pain shut him down completely.
In February 2025, Elliott completed the Pinto Canyon hike following his approach. Credit: Jeff Elliott
“This journey was my victory lap — it was my carrot on a stick that I’d been chasing since I started seeking treatment,” Elliott said.
“I owe my lifestyle to the team at Michigan and wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much if it wasn’t for them. I’m very happy.”
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Previously published Also at michiganmedicine.org Creative Commons License
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Photo credit: Elliott in the hospital (left) and riding his motorcycle (right) after his vascular procedure. Credit: Jeff Elliott
