Objective To investigate the causes, prevention and treatment of bile leakage following laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Methods Nine cases of postoperative bile leakage out of 3626 cases of LC between October 1993 and October 2003 were retrospectively reviewed. Results Intraperitoneal drainage was conducted in 6 patients and one of them (stump leakage of cystic duct) also underwent endoscopic nasal biliary drainage (ENBD). The remaining 3 patients received laparoscopic exploration : 1 patient with incomplete clipping of cystic duct stump underwent laparoscopic re-clipping successfully and a conversion to open repair of cystic duct was required in the other 2 patients with bile duct injuries. All the 9 patients were cured and discharged postoperatively. Follow-up in the 9 patients for (1～9) years (mean, 3 7 years) revealed no bile duct complications.Conclusions Bile leakage following LC should be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. Although subhepatic drainage is of great importance, emphasis should be on the prevention .