An overview is given on the technique and possibilities of intracorporeal lithotripsy during laparoscopic gall bladder surgery. Results are discussed of lithotripsy in combination with either cholecystostomy or cholecystectomy. The author feels that laparoscopic chlecystectomy in combination with intracorporeal lithotripsy is the treatment of choice for symptomatic gallstone disease. Moreover, attention is paid to the preoperative screening of patients considered for laparoscopic cholecystectomy and to the learning process of laparoscopic gall bladder surgery.