Within eight years, since October 1985 till June 1993, we had been operating on 409 patients, who had been subjected to 500 percutaneous nephrolithotomies. In 30% per cent of all the operations we had used mechanical, electrohydraulic or ultrasound lithotripsy. Out of the total number of the patients, 7 per cent had been discharged with the residual stones, but in 5.6 per cent the ESWL or spontaneous exodus had been presumed. Serious complications we had registered at 10 patients (e.g. 2 per cent of all operations). None of them however had required an emergency nephrectomy. The authors discuss the today's position of the PNL among the other operative methods of treatment of urolithiasis.