This surgical procedure takes about 3-4 hours to complete and is administered under general anesthesia. A small incision is made in the patient’s back on the side overlying the affected kidney. A track is then created from the skin surface into the kidney and enlarged using a series of Teflon dilators. A nephroscope (instrument with a fibre-optic light source and two channels for viewing the insides of the kidney and washing out the area) is inserted in the enlarged track. Smaller kidney stones are removed directly, while larger ones are broken. The incision is closed and a catheter is placed to drain the urinary system. Over the next 24 hours, kidney stones which were broken into smaller pieces are drained out of the body.