Your surgeon may recommend a procedure called percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) which enables large stones to be surgically removed from the kidney. He/She makes a small cut in your back and uses a telescopic instrument called a nephroscope to pull the stone out or break it up using a laser beam or shock waves. This procedure is performed under general anaesthesia and so you will not be aware of the operation as it is carried out.
Attribution: BUPA