Karen Marate thought she was doing everything right until she volunteered for a test that revealed dangerous blockages in her neck that could lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Karen had an ultrasound, but instead of the traditional equipment, doctors used a device that is the size of a laptop computer.

"There have been major advances in the miniaturization of ultrasound systems," said Dr. James Stein

While ultrasound screening is not new for detecting heart disease, regular machines are large, costly, and often only at major medical centers like Virginia Mason.

But even Virginia Mason has been using the laptop version for several years.

"This has helped us decide with patients how aggressive to be in treating risk factors long before they have developed symptoms and hopefully before they ever develop symptoms," said Dr. Ted Gibbons

The machines by Sonosite of Bothell continue to get smaller. That's why Dr. Stein predicts the test could one day be available in any doctor's office.

"For one third of patients, their first symptom of heart disease is that they die suddenly. That's why we want people to be so aggressive about determining their risk factors," said Stein.

The American Heart Association says while the technology is exciting, there is  a risk of false positive results, and that could lead to unnecessary treatment.

"We don't want to be giving medications to a large number of people who don't need them because we have to worry about the medication side effects," said Dr. Robert Bonow, American Heart Association / Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Another concern is training since medical staffs in doctors' offices typically don't specialize in this type of screening.

And then there is the cost issue. Insurance does not usually cover the scan, which runs about $200.