Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is a safe and less traumatic procedure for benign cholecystic disease. However there have been some complications peculiar to LC. Here we report a case with postoperative subcapsular hematoma of the liver after LC. A 78-year-old woman was admitted with acute cholecystitis due to cholecystolithiasis. She underwent LC and liver dysfunction was noted after the operation. Ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT) showed subcapsular hematoma of the liver. It was supposed that it had happened to occur during the operation, but we could not make the cause clear. The patient was improved with only conservative therapy and discharged. It is important to handle the forceps carefully close to the liver in the laparoscopic surgery in order to prevent this complication. We report a case with subcapsular hematoma of the liver following LC with a review of the literature. (J Nippon Med Sch 1998 ; 65: 478-480)