Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is an important part of endoluminal urological surgery and has become the main modern treatment method in the treatment of upper urinary tract stones, together with ureteroscopy and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, which has revolutionized the traditional open surgery surgical treatment. The history of percutaneous nephrolithotomy can be traced back to the 1940s, when Papel and Brow were the first to remove residual stones from the surgical nephrostomy using an endoluminal mirror, and Goodwin suggested the method of percutaneous renal puncture stoma in 1955, which started a new era of percutaneous nephrolithotomy. In 1976, Ferstrom reported his experience of percutaneous nephrolithotomy for stone extraction. After 1982, the procedure was carried out in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai in China, and after more than 10 years of clinical practice, nearly 1,000 cases of surgical experience have been accumulated. Through the comprehensive treatment methods of percutaneous nephrolithotomy, ureteroscopy and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, more than 90% of kidney stones and more than 95% of ureteral stones in our hospital can be eliminated from incision. Microchannel and standard channel percutaneous nephrostomy methods can be performed in clinical practice, and the introduction of pneumatic ballistic lithotripter and laser lithotripter and ultrasonic lithotripter system has increased the success rate of treatment, reduced comorbidities and expanded the treatment scope. Complications such as huge deerstalker-shaped stones, residual stones after open surgery, ESWL, pelvic ureteral junction stenosis or atresia and hydronephrosis, bilateral kidney stones, scoliosis patients, super obese patients, etc. can be treated by intracavitary techniques, which has led to the rapid development of the specialty of intracavitary urology. The procedure is characterized by small trauma (only a small thumb-sized channel is established on the body, which can heal 2 days after extubation, accurate positioning, simple operation, low intraoperative bleeding, and fast recovery of the patient, which can be considered epoch-making compared to the previously developed procedures.