The concentration of cell-free DNA in focal epilepsy.

Background: Increased production of cell-free DNA (cf-DNA), a marker of inflammation, cell death and degeneration, has been observed in stroke and severe traumatic brain injury among other medical conditions. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the significance of cf-DNA in patients with focal epilepsy.

Methods: cf-DNA was measured in 167 consecutive well-evaluated patients with focal epilepsy (147 with refractory epilepsy).