Percutaneous nephrostomy for relief of obstruction and functional preservation of the kidney was effectively performed 19 times in 14 patients for recent 1 year since July 1982 at Department of Radiology in Seoul National University Hospital. The etiologies of the total 14 obstructive uropathies were metastatc cervix cancer in 6-cases, metastatc cervix cancer in 6-cases, metastatic rectal cancer in 2 cases, and metastatic bladder cancer, malignant mixed mesodermal tumor of perimetrium, pyonephrosis, bilateral staghorn stone, UVJ obstruction of undetermined cause, congenital UPJ obsturction in 1 case respectively. Percutaneous nephrostomy was done bilaterally in 1 case of congenital UPJ obstruction and unilaterally in 13 cases, We used ultrasound as puncture guide in 13 cases and computed tomography in 1 case. Major complication was absent, but minor complications occured in 4 patients : gross hematuria persisting 24 hours (1 case), catheter dislodgment after several weeks (2 cases) and luminal narrowign after 3 monhts (1 case). Satisfactory outcomes were made in 13 patients except 1 patient who succumbed one day after the procedure due to preexisting severe sepsis. The procedure proved to be safe and effective alternative to operative nephrostomy in some patients with urinary obsturction.