Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) refers to a syndrome of various structural or functional lesions involving the small arteries, perforating arteries, capillaries, and small veins of the brain, which may lead to corresponding clinical, cognitive, imaging, and pathological manifestations. White matter hyperintensities (WMH) of vascular origin is currently the most widely recognized imaging marker of CSVD, and most studies believe that chronic cerebral blood flow hypoperfusion is one of the potential pathological mechanisms of WMHs. This article introduces the basic principle of a new magnetic resonance imaging technique, arterial spin labeling (ASL), with a focus on the advances in the application of ASL technology in WMHs, and reviews the application of ASL alone or in combination with multimodal magnetic resonance in WMHs, such as diffusion tensor imaging, blood oxygen level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging, voxel-based morphometry, and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, in order to provide a basis for understanding the mechanisms, early diagnosis, and early intervention of WMHs.