Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is becoming increasingly popular in the treatment of symptomatic gallstones, offering improved patient satisfaction and decreased hospital stays. The authors describe a patient in whom infected bile and gallstones were spilled or "dropped" during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Most of the gallstones ranged from 5 to 8 mm in diameter; one gallstone was 11 x 17 mm. An abscess formed around the stones, and percutaneous stone removal was performed 1 week after abscess drainage. The size of the retained gallstones is important. Stones smaller than 1 cm in diameter can usually be removed via a 30-F sheath by conventional means, whereas stones larger than 1 cm in diameter require fragmentation before removal.