Cholecystectomy is one of the most common and in most instances one of the most rewarding of all abdominal operations. Occasionally the end result leaves much to be desired, usually due to difficulties encountered during the course of the operation. Poor exposure may result in an incomplete operation with failure to cure the patient or accidental injury to an adjacent artery or bile duct. Hemorrhage, due to accidental disruption of the cystic artery before it has been identified, divided, and ligated, ligation of the right hepatic artery under the mistaken impression that it is the cystic artery, or injury to the right or common hepatic duct lead to complications which may result in prolonged convalescence, chronic disability or even death. The procedure we are about to describe is nothing more than what we consider to be the best of a number of different techniques. It has gradually evolved over a