CONCLUSION: In the context of LR, our results showed a correlation of preoperatively determined IL-6 with the extent of LF present. Higher serum baseline IL-6 concentrations were associated with a higher degree of LF, whereas no other blood parameter or score was that predictive for LF. Our results suggest that baseline IL-6 might serve as a valuable parameter to assess LF prior to LR. More patients need to be analyzed to further evaluate and confirm the predictive accuracy of IL-6 for …