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If you've been putting off getting your "glamour shots" -- an annual mammogram -- the time is right for ending the procrastination.

Dr. Melissa Trekell, founder and owner of Tennessee Breast Center in Maryville, recently purchased a state-of-the-art Hologic digital mammography machine and put it into service on July 8. Images of the breast are shown on a computer screen rather than film.

"This is just state-of-the-art equipment," Trekell said. "It's the only unit in our community, in Blount County, that is a Hologic unit. It's probably the best unit on the market."

The new machine provides several significant benefits for patients, including a decreased dose of radiation during the screening, a clearer image of the breast as compared with film, and a quicker procedure.

"It's actually a lot faster for patients," Trekell said. "Their time commitment is significantly less because the techs have the image right away. We don't have to process film while the patient waits.

"From the patient's perspective, it's still a mammogram, but hopefully the amount of time they spend here is going to be significantly less."

Trekell said she had considered a digital mammography machine when they first came out in 2002. She decided on the Hologic unit this year, saying she believes it provides the clearest image of the breast.

"We were needing to replace our machine anyway so it was a good time for us to go digital," she said. "It was important for us to wait it out and see which competing technology was the best before we made that capital investment because it was very expensive to do it. Our capital investment for just the machine is right around $600,000."

Less stress

Linda Britt, 58, had one of the first mammograms on the new machine. She was favorably impressed.

"The new technology makes the procedure much quicker and a lot less painful," she said. "I have fibrocystic breast condition and have had several breast biopsies that have left scar tissue. With the old technology, the technician almost always had to go back and take additional views. With the new technology, I was pleasantly surprised that she only had to take the four basic views and I was done. The new machine made the whole process a lot less stressful for me. Anytime a technician starts taking additional views, even though I know it's because of the fibrocystic condition and past biopsies, it makes me nervous because there's a little voice in my head that says, 'Yeah, but what if they actually saw something bad.' This time there were no unsettling additional views.

"Because of the fibrocystic condition, I had at least one biopsy that might have been unnecessary if better technology had been available. Digital mammography provides clearer pictures and could result in fewer biopsies for me."

The machine is also easier and more efficient for the technician to use. Sharon Kindrick, registered technician, radiography and mammography, said the images appear on a computer screen almost more quickly than she can walk from the machine to the computer. Using film took 90 seconds per film to be developed.

Images are transmitted to a radiologist in Atlanta, who immediately reads them, as does Trekell.

Firsts

Trekell received her education from Sterling College, in Kansas, and the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City, graduating in 1978. She completed her surgical residency in 1986, at which time she and her then-husband moved to East Tennessee. She was the first female surgeon in East Tennessee, beginning her practice here in 1986.

"Being a women, I attracted a lot of breast patients," Trekell said.

Trekell opened Tennessee Breast Center in 1991. "(Tennessee Breast Center) was actually the first accredited breast center in Blount County," she said. "It's the only accredited breast center in East Tennessee owned by a woman surgeon."

From the very beginning of the breast center, which is staffed entirely by women, Trekell has been a pioneer, implementing procedures that are now being followed by her peers. Using a team approach for patient care; explaining options to breast cancer patients rather than immediately considering mastectomy; conducting clinical trials; down-staging, or using chemotherapy to shrink large tumors in small-breasted women prior to doing lumpectomies; and providing primary breast reconstruction are a few of the procedures Trekell has done for years.

"Frankly, I never saw a lumpectomy when I was in my training program," Trekell said, "I started doing those when I got here. Never saw a primary breast reconstruction. In those women who do have a mastectomy, their breast can be rebuilt at the same time. I teamed up with one of the plastic surgeons and we started doing primary breast reconstruction, which wasn't being done in East Tennessee, either. That was back in the late '80s, but now it's commonplace.

"A lot of things people think are novel, we've been doing here for years."

Her approach has been quite successful.

"Our tumor detection size is smaller than national averages because we aggressively image the breast. Our survival statistics exceed national outcomes and certainly our cosmetic results."

Patients receive clinical exams and screening mammograms, plus diagnostic exams for those who have problems. Patient education is emphasized, including how to do a breast self-exam.

Linda Britt knows how important screenings can be.

"If you're not getting an annual mammogram, now is a good time to start," she said. "The new technology makes it quick and painless. Thirty minutes could save your life. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for your family."