Percutaneous nephrolithotomy or nephrolithotripsy, the surgeon usually makes a small incision in the lower back. Then a hollow tube is inserted into the kidney and a probe through the tube. The stone is directly removed through the tube if it is small. The whole surgery is done under general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia. At times a drain tube is inserted into the kidney to remove urine for 2-3 days. You will have to stay in the hospital for 2-3 days for doctors to monitor your recovery and kidney function. After discharge from the hospital you can return to normal work within a week or two
RIRS (retrograde intrarenal surgery): Retrograde intrarenal surgery is a procedure for doing surgery within the kidney using a viewing tube called a fiberoptic endoscope. RIRS may be done to remove a stone. The stone is seen through the scope and can then be manipulated or crushed by an ultrasound probe or evaporated by a laser probe or grabbed by small forceps, etc. The advantages of RIRS over open surgery include a quicker solution of the problem, the elimination of prolonged pain after surgery, and much faster recovery.