There are currently in existence a number of technical performance test protocols recommended by various professional bodies, these performance test protocols and the associated technical parameters were recommended with little supporting evidence and the assessment of the efficacy and relevance of performance test protocols is rare. Furthermore, advances in ultrasound technology have brought about improvements to B-mode and colour Doppler image quality, as well as the development of new imaging techniques, which have not been tested objectively to date, due to the lack of suitable test methods. The aims of this project, were to carry out an investigation into the efficacy of currently used test protocols and devices, used to test a variety of imaging modes on ultrasound scanners; as well as developing and evaluating new colour/power Doppler test methods. A clinical study was carried out to identify and evaluate in-vivo test parameters important for evaluating the image quality of B-mode and colour/power Doppler imaging. The study involved nine ultrasound scanners and all the scanners were evaluated using the same healthy volunteer. The images and cine loops were evaluated by 23 observers. The observers were found to have good inter- and intra-observer reliability and the in-vivo test parameters chosen were found to demonstrate trends similar to those expected when correlated with the complexity of the ultrasound scanners.