Objective To measure the fractional anisotropy(FA) values in the language function areas(Broca area,Wernicke area and arcuate fasciculus)by diffusion tensor imaging(DTI),discussing the pathological characteristics in cerebral palsy children with language development delay.Methods DTI was performed in twenty-seven cerebral palsy children with language development delay(observation group) and 20 children with febrile seizures(control group) by Philips 3.0T MRI scanner.The FA values of Broca area,Wernicke area and arcuate fasciculus were measured at Philips Workstation.Results The FA values of control group in the left Broca area,Wernicke area and arcuate fasciculusis were higher than those of the right side,and the difference was statistically significant (all P ＜ 0.05).The FA value of observation group in the left Broca area was lower than that of the right side,and the difference was statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05);the FA values of observation group in the left Wernick area and arcuate fasciculusis were higher than those of the right side,but the difference was not statistically significance (all P ＞ 0.05).The FA values in the bilateral Broca area and arcuate fasciculusis of observation group were lower than those of the control group,the difference was statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05),those in the bilateral Wernick area were also lower than the control group,but the difference was not statistically significant (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions The main pathogenesis for language development delay in cerebral palsy children was extensive damage in language functional areas,and Broca area and arcuate fasciculus were markedly impaired than Wernick area.