PCNL: Complete Guide to Procedure & Recovery
A small tunnel is made through the back directly into the kidney to break and remove large stones. It is the most effective option for large or complex stones.
- Also called
- percutaneous nephrolithotomy
- Duration
- About 1–2 hours
- Anaesthesia
- General anaesthesia
- Hospital stay
- 1–3 days
Urology surgeons for PCNL
View all 4,365 Urology doctors →Not every surgeon shown performs this specific procedure, so confirm with them directly.
Doctors are listed in alphabetical order. Payment does not change a doctor's position, and a listing is not an endorsement. Registration details are shown where available. Please verify any doctor on the NMC Indian Medical Register or the State Medical Council. How listings work
PCNL in India
PCNL is a urology procedure used to treat Kidney Stones. It usually takes about 1–2 hours under general anaesthesia, and the typical hospital stay is 1–3 days.
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It is usually considered for kidney stones larger than about 2 cm, staghorn stones and stones not cleared by other methods. Only a doctor can confirm whether it is right for you after examination. Go Surgery lists 4,248 urology surgeons at 11,706 hospitals across 322 cities, including Delhi NCR, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Coverage for PCNL depends on your policy and insurer. Please check with your insurer before admission. Compare surgeons and request an appointment to discuss whether PCNL is right for you.
PCNL Surgeons by City
| City | Doctors Listed in This Speciality | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi NCR | 447 | 788 |
| Bangalore | 253 | 551 |
| Hyderabad | 239 | 651 |
| Mumbai | 235 | 549 |
| Pune | 160 | 359 |
| Kolkata | 147 | 658 |
| Ahmedabad | 126 | 785 |
| Jaipur | 120 | 176 |
| Chennai | 96 | 653 |
| Guwahati | 87 | 20 |
View all 322 cities
| City | Doctors Listed in This Speciality | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|
| Greater_Noida | 73 | 19 |
| Navi Mumbai | 69 | 142 |
| Thane | 67 | 263 |
| Nagpur | 59 | 128 |
| Pimpri-Chinchwad | 53 | 5 |
| Agra | 50 | 315 |
| Chandigarh | 49 | 37 |
| Indore | 47 | 73 |
| Visakhapatnam | 46 | 79 |
| Mysore | 41 | 29 |
| Bhopal | 35 | 88 |
| Amritsar | 34 | 274 |
| Gorakhpur | 33 | 7 |
| Raipur | 33 | 38 |
| Kanpur | 31 | 34 |
| Bhubaneshwar | 30 | 0 |
| Coimbatore | 30 | 84 |
| Bhiwandi | 29 | 0 |
| Gwalior | 29 | 21 |
| Kukatpalli | 29 | 0 |
| Vadodara | 29 | 80 |
| Meerut | 27 | 27 |
| Dwarka | 26 | 0 |
| Jammu | 26 | 3 |
| Nashik | 26 | 85 |
| Borivli | 25 | 0 |
| Patna | 25 | 116 |
| Rajkot | 25 | 45 |
| Ankleshwar | 24 | 100 |
| Ludhiana | 23 | 73 |
| Mangalore | 23 | 13 |
| Ranchi | 23 | 190 |
| Lucknow | 22 | 87 |
| Cuttack | 21 | 11 |
| Dombivli | 21 | 0 |
| Howrah | 19 | 18 |
| Kamarhati | 19 | 0 |
| Surat | 19 | 85 |
| Guntur | 18 | 16 |
| Jodhpur | 18 | 25 |
| Varanasi | 18 | 57 |
| Jalandhar | 17 | 25 |
| Kochi | 16 | 4 |
| Prayagraj | 16 | 272 |
| Udaipur | 15 | 10 |
| Ajmer | 14 | 119 |
| Secunderabad | 14 | 0 |
| Madurai | 13 | 34 |
| Ahmadnagar | 12 | 185 |
| Anantapur | 12 | 184 |
| Bareilly | 12 | 14 |
| Bathinda | 12 | 15 |
| Karol-bagh | 12 | 0 |
| Rohtak | 12 | 12 |
| Srinagar | 12 | 9 |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 12 | 37 |
| Jabalpur | 11 | 11 |
| Moradabad | 11 | 4 |
| Patiala | 11 | 7 |
| Vijayawada | 11 | 72 |
| Agartala | 10 | 55 |
| Alappuzha | 10 | 82 |
| Asansol | 10 | 54 |
| Dehra-dun | 10 | 0 |
| Durgapur | 10 | 7 |
| Alwar | 9 | 141 |
| Anand | 9 | 136 |
| Bhayandar | 9 | 0 |
| Bhilai | 9 | 2 |
| Chittorgarh | 9 | 0 |
| Habra | 9 | 0 |
| Nellore | 9 | 7 |
| Bhatpara | 8 | 0 |
| Bihar Sharif | 8 | 12 |
| Haldwani | 8 | 0 |
| Kota | 8 | 5 |
| Mathura | 8 | 9 |
| Rampur | 8 | 1 |
| Shiliguri | 8 | 0 |
| Vizianagaram | 8 | 4 |
| Bharatpur | 7 | 2 |
| Dhanbad | 7 | 61 |
| Guruvayur | 7 | 0 |
| Jhansi | 7 | 6 |
| Salem | 7 | 22 |
| Thrissur | 7 | 0 |
| Tiruchirappalli | 7 | 9 |
| Amravati | 6 | 263 |
| Bhagalpur | 6 | 37 |
| Bhavnagar | 6 | 4 |
| Cherthala | 6 | 3 |
| Darbhanga | 6 | 18 |
| Dewas | 6 | 2 |
| Hanamkonda | 6 | 1 |
| Junagadh | 6 | 2 |
| Karimnagar | 6 | 23 |
| Kharagpur | 6 | 0 |
| Nainital | 6 | 0 |
| Raniganj | 6 | 2 |
| Raurkela | 6 | 0 |
| Shivaji_Nagar | 6 | 0 |
| Vasco_da_Gama | 6 | 0 |
| Yavatmal | 6 | 3 |
| Akola | 5 | 222 |
| Ambattur | 5 | 109 |
| Belagavi | 5 | 7 |
| Bellary | 5 | 4 |
| Gandhidham | 5 | 0 |
| Jalgaon | 5 | 9 |
| Jalna | 5 | 2 |
| Jamshedpur | 5 | 31 |
| Kakinada | 5 | 5 |
| Kollam | 5 | 8 |
| Kozhikode | 5 | 10 |
| Kurnool | 5 | 8 |
| Morbi | 5 | 0 |
| Panipat | 5 | 4 |
| Purnia | 5 | 2 |
| Shillong | 5 | 1 |
| Srikakulam | 5 | 3 |
| Uttar Dinajpur | 5 | 0 |
| Bhilwara | 4 | 0 |
| Bikaner | 4 | 4 |
| Bokaro | 4 | 2 |
| Dhule | 4 | 0 |
| Erode | 4 | 3 |
| Hisar | 4 | 17 |
| Karur | 4 | 2 |
| Kolhapur | 4 | 15 |
| Kulti | 4 | 2 |
| Mumbai City | 4 | 0 |
| Nadiad | 4 | 1 |
| Nizamabad | 4 | 9 |
| Panaji | 4 | 0 |
| Raisen | 4 | 0 |
| Ratlam | 4 | 2 |
| Rewa | 4 | 3 |
| Vellore | 4 | 6 |
| Aizawl | 3 | 39 |
| Aligarh | 3 | 194 |
| Bardhaman | 3 | 0 |
| Begusarai | 3 | 40 |
| Belgaum | 3 | 5 |
| Churu | 3 | 0 |
| Daman | 3 | 0 |
| Gandhinagar | 3 | 6 |
| Hanumangarh | 3 | 0 |
| Hubli | 3 | 7 |
| Imphal | 3 | 0 |
| Kalyan | 3 | 0 |
| Kasaragod | 3 | 1 |
| Khammam | 3 | 15 |
| Korba | 3 | 0 |
| Margao | 3 | 0 |
| Nagercoil | 3 | 2 |
| Navsari | 3 | 0 |
| Panna | 3 | 0 |
| Puducherry | 3 | 6 |
| Sangli | 3 | 1 |
| Surendranagar | 3 | 0 |
| Tirupati | 3 | 4 |
| Vasant Kunj | 3 | 0 |
| Agra Cantt | 2 | 0 |
| Balaghat | 2 | 0 |
| Ballari | 2 | 1 |
| Banaskantha | 2 | 0 |
| Baranagar | 2 | 0 |
| Berhampore | 2 | 0 |
| Bhuj | 2 | 0 |
| Bundi | 2 | 0 |
| Darjeeling | 2 | 0 |
| Durg | 2 | 0 |
| Firozabad | 2 | 0 |
| Gadag | 2 | 0 |
| Gondia | 2 | 2 |
| Gudivada | 2 | 0 |
| Hapur | 2 | 2 |
| Hassan | 2 | 1 |
| Hazaribag | 2 | 0 |
| Jagadhri | 2 | 0 |
| Jamnagar | 2 | 6 |
| Kanchipuram | 2 | 4 |
| Karnal | 2 | 8 |
| Khordha | 2 | 0 |
| Kumbakonam | 2 | 2 |
| Malappuram | 2 | 9 |
| Mapusa | 2 | 1 |
| Medchal-Malkajgiri | 2 | 0 |
| Mumbai Suburban | 2 | 0 |
| Nanded | 2 | 6 |
| Nayagarh | 2 | 0 |
| Neyyattinkara | 2 | 0 |
| Paschim Bardhaman | 2 | 0 |
| Ponda | 2 | 0 |
| Rajamahendravaram | 2 | 2 |
| Roorkee | 2 | 0 |
| Sagar | 2 | 2 |
| Saharanpur | 2 | 0 |
| Samastipur | 2 | 0 |
| Shimla | 2 | 1 |
| Sikar | 2 | 5 |
| Sitamarhi | 2 | 0 |
| Siwan | 2 | 1 |
| Solapur | 2 | 19 |
| Sonipat | 2 | 0 |
| Thiruvalla | 2 | 2 |
| Tirunelveli | 2 | 3 |
| Tiruvannamalai | 2 | 0 |
| Yamuna Nagar | 2 | 0 |
| Addanki | 1 | 0 |
| Aluva | 1 | 0 |
| Angul | 1 | 0 |
| Annamayya | 1 | 0 |
| Baharampur | 1 | 0 |
| Banka | 1 | 0 |
| Barddhaman | 1 | 0 |
| Beed | 1 | 0 |
| Berhamapur | 1 | 0 |
| Betul | 1 | 0 |
| Bhadradri Kothagudem | 1 | 0 |
| Bhandara | 1 | 1 |
| Bharuch | 1 | 16 |
| Bhosari | 1 | 0 |
| Bilimora | 1 | 0 |
| Birbhum | 1 | 0 |
| Bishnah | 1 | 0 |
| Brahmapur | 1 | 0 |
| Bulandshahr | 1 | 0 |
| Buldhana | 1 | 0 |
| Changanacherry | 1 | 0 |
| Chengannur | 1 | 2 |
| Chikkaballapur | 1 | 0 |
| Chikkamagaluru | 1 | 0 |
| Davangere | 1 | 0 |
| Dehradun | 1 | 0 |
| Deoghar | 1 | 30 |
| Dhenkanal | 1 | 0 |
| Dholpur | 1 | 0 |
| Dhulia | 1 | 0 |
| Dindigul | 1 | 1 |
| East Delhi | 1 | 0 |
| East Singhbhum | 1 | 0 |
| Elamakkara | 1 | 0 |
| Eluru | 1 | 0 |
| Farrukhabad | 1 | 2 |
| Gangtok | 1 | 0 |
| Gaya | 1 | 8 |
| Gopalganj | 1 | 0 |
| Gudur | 1 | 0 |
| Gulbarga | 1 | 6 |
| Haridwar | 1 | 6 |
| Hazaribagh | 1 | 7 |
| Hinjavadi | 1 | 0 |
| Ichhapur | 1 | 0 |
| Idukki | 1 | 0 |
| Jammalamadugu | 1 | 0 |
| Jamtara | 1 | 0 |
| Jhunjhunu | 1 | 0 |
| Kadapa | 1 | 0 |
| Kanniyakumari | 1 | 0 |
| Karaikudi | 1 | 0 |
| Katihar | 1 | 1 |
| Kendrapara | 1 | 0 |
| Kishanganj | 1 | 1 |
| Koderma | 1 | 1 |
| Kottayam | 1 | 8 |
| Krishnagiri | 1 | 0 |
| Kullu | 1 | 2 |
| Kurukshetra | 1 | 0 |
| Latehar | 1 | 0 |
| Latur | 1 | 5 |
| Machilipatnam | 1 | 0 |
| Mahendragarh | 1 | 0 |
| Mandsaur | 1 | 0 |
| Mira Bhayandar | 1 | 0 |
| Mount_Abu | 1 | 0 |
| Munger | 1 | 1 |
| Muzaffarnagar | 1 | 2 |
| Naihati | 1 | 0 |
| Nandurbar | 1 | 0 |
| Nandyal | 1 | 0 |
| Osmanabad | 1 | 0 |
| Ottappalam | 1 | 0 |
| Palakkad | 1 | 7 |
| Palanpur | 1 | 1 |
| Pali | 1 | 2 |
| Palnadu | 1 | 0 |
| Panchkula | 1 | 1 |
| Panihati | 1 | 0 |
| Pathanamthitta | 1 | 3 |
| Perumbaikad | 1 | 0 |
| Pimple Saudagar | 1 | 0 |
| Proddatur | 1 | 0 |
| Purba Medinipur | 1 | 0 |
| Raichur | 1 | 2 |
| Ramgarh | 1 | 0 |
| Saran | 1 | 0 |
| Satara | 1 | 3 |
| Shahjanpur | 1 | 0 |
| Shirdi | 1 | 0 |
| Shyamnagar | 1 | 0 |
| Sri Ganganagar | 1 | 0 |
| Sultanpur | 1 | 0 |
| Tawang | 1 | 0 |
| Tinsukia | 1 | 0 |
| Udupi | 1 | 4 |
| Ulhasnagar | 1 | 0 |
| Uttara Kannada | 1 | 0 |
| Vidisha | 1 | 0 |
| Wardha | 1 | 2 |
| Washim | 1 | 0 |
| West Godavari | 1 | 0 |
When it's recommended
- Kidney stones larger than about 2 cm
- Staghorn stones
- Stones not cleared by other methods
What happens during the procedure
- General anaesthesia
- Needle access into the kidney under X-ray/ultrasound
- Tract dilated and scope inserted
- Stones fragmented and removed
Recovery
About 1–2 weeks before normal activity.
Typical hospital stay: 1–3 days
Risks & complications
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Injury to nearby organs (rare)
PCNL cost in India
Go Surgery doesn't publish prices for pcnl yet. Costs vary with the procedure, the hospital and the city, so ask for a written estimate that lists the surgeon's fee, hospital charges, anaesthesia, consumables and follow-up.
Get a written estimateInsurance and payment options
Coverage for PCNL depends on your policy and insurer. Please check with your insurer before admission.
Paying for Your Treatment
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Urology hospitals
View all 11,720 →
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital
Old Rajinder Nagar, Delhi
Allergist · Andrologist · Anesthesiologist
Hospitals Offering PCNL in India
1,284 hospitals are listed for this speciality. The 8 hospitals with the most listed surgeons are shown.
Related conditions
PCNL near you
FAQs
How long does PCNL take?
About 1–2 hours. The exact time depends on your case.
Will I need to stay in hospital?
Typical hospital stay: 1–3 days.
What anaesthesia is used?
General anaesthesia. Your anaesthetist will confirm the plan for you.
How long is recovery after PCNL?
About 1–2 weeks before normal activity.
Is PCNL covered by insurance?
It is usually covered by health insurance when medically necessary, subject to your policy's terms, waiting periods and sub-limits. Our insurance desk can check your specific policy.
Other Treatments
| Treatment | Duration | Anaesthesia | Hospital Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy | About 45–90 minutes | General anaesthesia | Same day or 1 day |
| Laparoscopic Hernia Repair | About 45–90 minutes | General anaesthesia | Same day or 1 day |
| Cataract Surgery (Phacoemulsification) | About 15–30 minutes | Topical (drops) or local anaesthesia | No stay — day care |
| Total Knee Replacement | About 1.5–2 hours | Spinal or general anaesthesia | 3–5 days |
| RIRS (Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery) | About 45–90 minutes | General anaesthesia | Same day or 1 day |
| Circumcision | About 20–45 minutes | Local or general anaesthesia | Same day |
| Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) for Varicose Veins | About 45–60 minutes | Local anaesthesia | Same day |
| Laparoscopic Appendectomy | About 45–60 minutes | General anaesthesia | 1–2 days (longer if the appendix had burst) |
| Gynecomastia Surgery | About 1–2 hours | General or local anaesthesia with sedation | Same day |
Other treatments in this speciality
ESWL (Shock Wave Lithotripsy)
Focused shock waves are passed through the body to break a kidney stone into fragments small enough to pass in the urine. No incision is needed.
Ureteroscopy (URS)
A thin telescope is passed through the urinary passage into the ureter to break the stone with a laser and remove fragments. There are no external cuts.
RIRS (Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery)
A flexible telescope is passed up into the kidney through the natural urinary passage and a laser breaks up kidney stones. No cuts are made.
TURP
The inner part of an enlarged prostate is trimmed away through the urinary passage using a telescope, widening the channel for urine. There are no external cuts.
HoLEP (Laser Prostate Surgery)
A holmium laser separates the obstructing prostate tissue from its capsule, which is then removed. It suits prostates of almost any size and usually involves less bleeding.
Circumcision
The foreskin is removed surgically — by conventional technique, stapler device or laser — to treat phimosis and recurrent foreskin infections.
Figures are counted from the Go Surgery directory. How we compile our pages: Editorial Policy.