Gallstones are commonly lost into the peritoneal cavity during cholecystectomy. We investigated the effect of this occurrence using a rabbit model and also by a postal questionnaire of patients in whom gallstones were lost at the time of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. No deleterious effects could be demonstrated, and it is concluded that there is no indication for a laparotomy to retrieve “escaped” gallstones during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.