What is a laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

Gallbladder removal: Cholecystectomy means removal of the gallbladder. It can be done either open (the way we've done it for over a hundred years with a long incision under the rib cage), or laparoscopically (through small incisions using different instruments to get the job done). We generally do it laparoscopically if possible, and reserve the open approach for when we it's not safe to do via the scope.