The authors report the imaging findings in a patient with a long history of alcoholism, who presented with delirium and recurrent left hemiparesis meeting the criteria of subacute encephalopathy with seizures in alcoholics (SESA) syndrome. MRI revealed fully reversible signal intensities (T2, diffusion-weighted imaging with a decreased apparent coefficient) throughout the right hemisphere. This case suggests that the MRI characteristics of SESA syndrome resemble those of status epilepticus.