AIM: To investigate the safety and efficacy of implanting fibrin sealant with sustained-release ropivacaine in the gallbladder bed for pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). METHODS: Sixty patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status was I or 11 and underwent LC) were randomly divided into three equal groups: group A (implantation of fibrin sealant in the gallbladder bed), group B (implantation of fibrin sealant carrying ropivacaine in the gallbladder bed), and group C (normal saline in the gallbladder bed). Postoperative pain was evaluated, and pain relief was assessed by visual analog scale (VAS) scoring. RESULTS: The findings showed that 81.7% of patients had visceral pain, 50% experienced parietal, and 26.7% reported shoulder pain after LC. Visceral pain was significantly less in group B patients than in the other groups (P < 0.05), and only one patient in this group experienced shoulder pain. The mean VAS score in group B patients was lower than that in the other groups. CONCLUSION: Visceral pain is prominent after LC and can be effectively controlled by implanting fibrin sealant combined with ropivacaine in the gallbladder bed. (C) 2009 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.