Neonatal encephalopathy is a term which encompasses numerous signs of neurologic dysfunction during neonatal period, caused by early cerebral injury of different type and extent. The purpose of this paper is to present current and the latest data on brain injury in neonates due to hypoxic-ischaemic injury during perinatal period, i.e. in a period of 22 weeks' gestation up to 7 days of life, with a special focus on obstetric emergencies – intrapartal period. The incidence of perinatal asphyxia and subsequent encephalopathy varies between 1/1000 and 10/1000 livebirths in developed countries including Croatia. This number is twice as high in preterms. Depending on it's severity, asphyxia is responsible for significant neonatal mortality and long-term morbidity in affected individuals. The consequences of perinatal asphyxia mostly present right after labour (cardiogenic shock, respiratory insufficiency, seizures, focal neurological deficits, cerebral palsy). However, in case of subtle anamnestic data and clinical signs, some of these can be noted later when normal motor and mental development are expected (minimal cerebral dysfunction, learning dificulties, epilepsy). Causes of perinatal asphyxia are grouped in those related to mother and those related to fetus/child. In general, chronic diseases of the mother, chronic intrauterine hypoxia and/or fetal ischaemia will lead to abortion or preterm birth. In-labour complications will result in acute asphyctic cerebral injury in a neonate, variable in it's severity. Hypoxia-ischaemia is the leading cause of neonatal encephalopathy. Treatment of neonatal encephalopathy is limited to early recognition, reanimation and attenuation of further brain injury and comorbidities despite well-known pathophysiological mechanism of injury, good antenatal care and great potential of perinatal diagnostics. The gold standard in evaluation of neonatal encephalopathy are clinical evaluation, evaluation of vital functions and imaging techniques – cranial ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging accompanied by amplitude-integrated electroencephalography. Treatment is based on therapeutic hypothermia, prevention of complications and symptomatic supportive care.