Objective To explore the application value of shear wave elastography（SWE） in the early diagnosis and curative effect evaluation of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.Methods 78 newborns were selected as subjects and divided into normal group and HIE group according to the diagnostic criteria of HIE.According to the 37 weeks of gestation at birth，they were divided into premature infants，full-term infants，and were nested distribution in normal group and HIE group.The elastic modulus of thalamus and frontal lobe of each newborn was measured by SWE，and the differences of elastic modulus values in different regions of neonatal brain tissue, as well as those of thalamus and frontal lobe between normal group and HIE group were analyzed and compared.The HIE group was reexamined 7 days after treatment，and the differences of elastic modulus of thalamus and frontal lobe before and after treatment were compared.?For the children who got worse after treatment, reexamination was made after about 3 weeks of treatment.Results The elastic modulus of thalamus was higher than that of frontal lobe in both groups, and the difference was statistically significant (both P ＜ 0.001). The elastic modulus of thalamus and frontal lobe in HIE group was higher than that in normal group（P＜0.05）.After treatment，the elastic modulus of thalamus and frontal lobe in HIE group was lower than that before treatment（P＜0.001）.The elastic modulus of thalamus and frontal lobe of 3 children in HIE group increased after 7 days of treatment, and decreased after 20 days of treatment.Conclusion SWE can provide a quantitative index for the diagnosis and efficacy evaluation of HIE，and provide more valuable reference information for clinicians' diagnosis and treatment activities.