Objective To explore whether the intraoperative cholangiography （IOC） should be applied in laparoscopic cholecystectomy routinely or selectively. Methods Data of routine IOC group （1 520 patients）and selective IOC group （457 patients）in laparoscopic cholecystectomy were collected and analyzed， including cholangiography time， success rate， common bile duct stones rate， open cholecystectomy rate， and hospital stay after operation. All IOC cases were performed by home-made cholangiography appliance or infusion needle. Results There were no significant differences between routine IOC group and selective IOC group on cholangiography time， success rate， open cholecystectomy rate， and hospital stay after operation （P＞0.05）. However， compared with routine IOC group， the common bile duct stones rate， anatomic variation rate， and iatrogenic damage rate were significantly higher in selective IOC group （28.25% vs. 13.43%， 10.71% vs. 7.43%， 2.05% vs. 1.02%， P＜0.05）. Conclusions For avoiding iatrogenic bile duct damage and residual stones， routine IOC should be applied in early-stage of laparoscopic cholecystectomy， and IOC should be applied selectively when the surgeon have LC technique at their finger ends.