Video equipment used in laparoscopic surgery is expensive and may occasionally be liable to technical failure. To explore the feasibility of laparoscopic cholecystectomy without video assistance, an ENT headband was modified to serve as a laparoscope head-holder. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was attempted in 10 randomly selected patients and was completed without complication in seven. Video assistance was resorted to in three patients, eventually converting one of them to open cholecystectomy. Using a difficulty grading system in 320 cases, we estimate that approximately 80% of all laparoscopic cholecystectomies can be performed without video assistance.