Radiopaque vessel markers

A method of adapting a bypass graft blood vessel for subsequent fluoroscopic examination, comprising the steps of:

• a. surgically removing a blood vessel a patient to be used as a bypass;
• b. attaching a pair of spaced radiopaque markers to the bypass blood vessel outer opposite wall portions;
• and
• c. surgically grafting the bypass blood vessel into a desired position with the grafted bypass vessel thereafter circulating blood.

A method of adapting a bypass graft blood vessel for subsequent fluoroscopic examination comprising the steps of:

• a. surgically removing a blood vessel from a patient to be used as a bypass graft vessel;
• b. attaching at approximately one hundred eighty degrees (180.degree.) apart a pair of spaced radiopaque markers to the bypass blood vessel outer wall surface portion, the pair of spaced markers being independently movable with respect to one another during pulsatile blood flow through the bypass blood vessel graft;
• c. surgically grafting the bypass blood vessel into a desired position with the grafted bypass vessel thereafter adapted for circulating blood;
• d. fluoroscopically examining the pair of radiopaque markers to determine relative movement therebetween, the examination determining relative outer vessel wall position and the presence of pulsatile blood flow through the graft.

A radiopaque vessel marker apparatus for indicating vessel pulsatile blood flow comprising:

• a. first radiopaque oval marker disc, said marker disc having a pair of suture attachment openings at its opposite end portions;
• b. a second radiopaque oval marker disc, said second marker disc having a pair of openings at its opposite end portions, said openings adapted for receiving surgical suture therethrough for attaching said marker disc to a vessel to be marked, said first and said second radiopaque markers each comprising a central inner radiopaque member and a surrounding and embedding outer covering, said covering being an inert plastic material, each of said markers providing upper and lower surfaces, said lower surface of each marker disc being adapted for attachment to the surface portion of a vessel to be marked, said radiopaque member adapting each of said discs for fluoroscopic examination;
• and
• c. surgical suture attachment means associated with each of said openings on each of said markers for attaching said markers to a blood vessel to be marked, said surgical suture means being adapted for atttachment to a surgical needle during operation.