Two children are described who suddenly developed an encephalitic illness with intractable bilateral facial seizures. The seizures subsided over several days, but the children were left with the signs of pseudobulbar palsy and are unable to speak or swallow effectively. Bilateral destructive lesions in the opercular regions evolved on computed tomographic scans. Both children were treated with acyclovir relatively early in the illness, and cerebrospinal fluid and serum antibodies support the diagnosis of herpes simplex virus encephalitis.