Meet Dr. Echo
Anthony Echo MD, FACS, is an assistant professor in the division of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX. He also has joint appointments as an assistant professor of plastic surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, NY and clinical assistant professor of surgery at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. Dr. Echo is one of the only surgeons in the greater Houston area trained in performing the Muschaweck technique to treat sports hernia, which targets only the weakened areas vs the entire abdominal wall. Dr. Echo is also one of a handful of surgeons in Houston, TX trained in Targeted Muscle Reinnervation (TMR) that reassigns nerves in extremity amputation potentially relieving chronic pain such as Phantom Limb Pain.
Skills and Specialties
Dr. Echo is an expert in microsurgery and peripheral nerve surgery. He is referred to patients across the country for his expertise in microsurgery and peripheral nerve surgery. Other clinical areas of interest include core muscle injuries, surgical treatment of migraine headaches, DIEP flap breast reconstruction, and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
For the past 8 years, Dr. Echo has been treating chronic pain in amputees by addressing the neuromas in the stumps. Either through a procedure termed targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) or regenerative peripheral nerve interface (RPNI), he is able to address the phantom limb pain in the limb with excellent success.
Education and Training
Dr. Echo completed a plastic surgery residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX inside of the world-renowned Texas Medical Center. While residency, he completed rotations a Ben Taub Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston Methodist Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital, and the Houston VA hospital. Upon completion of his Chief year in plastic surgery, he was one of two people accepted into the prestigious Stanford University Microsurgery fellowship where he was able to work with some of the world’s experts in microsurgery, breast reconstruction, and peripheral nerve surgery. He then had the privilege to train under, Dr. Susan Mackinnon, one of the pioneers in peripheral nerve surgery at the Washington University in St. Louis in a peripheral nerve fellowship. He was eventually recruited back to the Houston Methodist Hospital to provide breast reconstruction and peripheral nerve surgery for patients seeking these procedures in Texas.
Professional Memberships
He is board-certified through the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He has served as a scientific peer reviewer for several journals, including the Annals of Plastic Surgery, Microsurgery, Hand, and the Journal of Hand Surgery. He also serves on committees for the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery, and the Texas Society of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Echo has received grant funding from the Plastic Surgery Foundation, Ethicon, and the Houston Methodist Hospital. One of his grants, allowed him to travel to Aspetar Hospital in Doha, Qatar to personally work with Drs. Ulrike Muschaweck and Zarko Vuckovic on sports hernia repairs and core muscle injuries.
Professional Involements
Dr. Echo has authored more than 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals and scientific textbooks. His clinical and research focus is on complex peripheral nerve surgery, nerve pain, Targeted Muscle Reinnervation (TMR) for amputation stump pain, sports hernia and return to play, and microsurgical breast reconstruction with the restoration of sensation. He was the recipient of the 2016 Dyer Fellowship award at the Houston Methodist Hospital to travel to the Aspetar Hospital in Doha, Qatar to personally work with Drs. Ulrike Muschaweck and Zarko Vuckovic on sports hernia repairs and core muscle injuries. He is one of the only surgeons in the entire United States offering the Muschaweck Minimal Tension Repair technique to our athletes.