Objective To investigate feasibility and clinical efficacy of exploration and stone removal through choledochoscope via hepatic cross-section during laparoscopic left lateral hepatectomy for hepatolithiasis. Methods The patients who had left extrahepatic bile duct stones with choledocholithiasis from January 2012 to December 2016 were retrospectively collected. Among these patients, 29 cases underwent an exploration and stone removal through choledochoscope via hepatic cross-section during laparoscopic left lateral hepatectomy (observation group) and 26 cases underwent an exploration and stone removal through choledochoscope via incision of common bile duct during laparoscopic left lateral hepatectomy (control group). The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative nutritional, and complications rate were compared between these two groups. Results The operations were performed successfully and no perioperative death happened in both groups. There were no significant differences in the operative time and intraoperative blood loss between the two groups (P>0.05). Moreover, the postoperative hospital stay of the observation group was significantly shorter than that of the control group (P<0.05). In addition, there were no significant differences in the complications of the bile leakage, subphrenic infection, and biliary residual stones between the two groups (P>0.05). Also, the levels of prealbumin and the lymphocytes in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group on the 3rd and 6th day after the operation (P<0.05). Conclusions Preliminary results of limited cases in this study show that exploration and removal of stones through choledochoscope via hepatic cross-section during laparoscopic left lateral hepatectomy for hepatolithiasis is relatively safe and reliable, its procedure is simplified, could avoid relevant complications due to biliary incision and T tube drainage.