Objective: To study the feasibility of transumbilical single-port laparoscopic appendectomy. Methods: One hundred and twenty-two patients with acute appendicitis from January 2011 to December 2011 were randomly assigned to undergo transumbilical single-port laparoscopic appendectomy or conventional laparoscopic appendectomy, with 61 cases in each group. The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, time to intestinal function recovery, length of hospital stay, complications and the conversion rate between the two groups were compared. Results: There were no statistical differences in intraoperative blood loss, time to bowel function recovery, length of hospital stay and complications between the two groups. Of the patients undergoing transumbilical single-port laparoscopic procedure, 2 cases with severe adhesions and 1 case of retroperitoneal appendix were converted to conventional laparoscopic appendectomy. For patients with gangrenous or perforated appendicitis, the operative time of the transumbilical single-port laparoscopic procedure was significantly longer than that of the conventional laparoscopic procedure (P=0.004). The operative times had no significant difference between the two procedures for patients with simple or suppurative appendicitis. Conclusion: Selective use of transumbilical single-port laparoscopic procedure for appendectomy is feasible and safe. For patients with simple or suppurative appendicitis, it has the advantages of quick recovery, little invasiveness and better cosmetic results compared with the conventional procedure.