Objective To evaluate the effect of recruitment maneuver on early postoperative lung ventilation in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy using electrical impedance tomography (EIT). Methods Thirty American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅰor Ⅱ patients of both sexes, aged 30-60 yr, with body mass index of 18-28 kg/m2, scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy, were divided into 2 groups (n=15 each) using a random number table: control group (group C) and recruitment maneuver group (group R). Recruitment maneuver was performed with a pressure of 30 mmHg, lasting for 30 s, starting from 5 min after establishment of pneumoperitoneum and from the end of pneumoperitoneum in group R. EIT was carried out before anesthesia induction (baseline) and after extubation, and the percentages of area in center of ventilation (CoV), dependent silent spaces (DSS) and non-dependent silent spaces (NSS) were recorded. Results There was no significant difference in the percentages of area in CoV, DSS or NSS between the two groups (P>0.05). Compared with the baseline before induction, the percentage of area in CoV was significantly decreased, and the percentages of area in DSS and NSS were increased after extubation in group C, and the percentages of DSS and NSS were increased (P 0.05). Conclusion Recruitment maneuver can alleviate decrease in early postoperative regional lung ventilation, and it does not improve atelectasis and hypoventilation in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Key words: Laparoscopy; Pulmonary ventilation; Positive-pressure respiration; Tomography