Tantalum markers as an aid in identifying the upper respiratory structures of experimental animals.

Tantalum clips were easily attached to upper respiratory structures in sheep, cats and nonhuman primates. Cineradiography of these animals showed that the clips served to locate precisely the movement and position of the tagged structures during all phases of respiration, deglutition and vocalization. The use of clips as markers surpassed in accuracy the usual approach of outlining structures with the residue from a barium swallow.