Transumbilical laparoscopic cholecystectomy utilizes no incisions outside the umbilicus

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the gold standard in the care of patients with cholelithiasis. A standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy employs three trocar incisions outside the umbilicus, which are a source of potential wound complications and an undesirable cosmetic outcome. We describe here a modification of the laparoscopic cholecystectomy which utilizes two transumbilical trocars and two transabdominal gallbladder stay sutures and does not require abdominal wall incisions outside the umbilicus. When technically feasible, this technique results in superior cosmesis and may reduce postoperative wound complications.