Single‑incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy

The procedure

The medical name for this procedure is 'single‑incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy'. Cholecystectomy means the surgical removal of the gallbladder. In this procedure, only 1 cut is usually needed, most often below the belly button. The aim is to minimise scarring, reduce pain and wound problems, and speed up recovery. You will usually be given a general anaesthetic. A laparoscope (a thin flexible tube for looking inside the body) and other special instruments are inserted through the cut and the gallbladder is then removed through the cut. If the main bile‑carrying tube (the 'common bile duct') needs to be examined in more detail, other cuts may have to be made.