Rice University mechanical engineers and Baylor College of Medicine neurosurgeons have identified simple changes to surgical tools that could reduce strain on the esophagus and potentially lower the risk of swallowing difficulties after neck surgery. The study, published in the Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, focuses on anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, or ACDF, a common procedure used to treat damaged or degenerating discs in the neck.