Objective To investigate the relationship between the different subtypes of white matter damage (WMD) by routine Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) examination and the prognosis of children. Methods 59 premature infant with asphyxia history in our hospital from January 2015 to June 2015 were selected. The children were given with MRI examination after 2 weeks born. There were 44 cases with focal WMD, 15 cases with diffuse WMD. The children were given with MRI again after 6 months born to observed lesion evolution. The Gesell score were observed under the corrected age. The development status of children with different types were observed and compared. Results The results of MRI after 6 months of born showed that there was periventricular leukomalacia in children with diffuse WMD, linear WMD and mixed WMD. The periventricular leukomalacia sequelae rate of children with diffuse WMD, linear WMD or mixed WMD were significantly higher than that of the children with point cluster WMD (P<0.05). The incidence of widening of the extra cerebral space was not statistically significant between children with different types of WMD(P>0.05). The GMDQ, FMDQ and ADQ scores in Gesell of children with diffuse WMD, linear WMD or mixed WMD were significantly lower than that of children with point cluster WMD(P<0.05). Conclusion The prognosis of children with diffuse WMD, linear WMD or mixed WMD is worse than that of children with clustered WMD.