Through an incision within the eyebrow, a small (1.5 - 2 cm x 2.5 - 3 cm) opening in the skull, above the orbit, is made to access tumors under or within the frontal lobes and around the pituitary gland. Surgeons at Saint John's often prefer the eyebrow approach over the traditional large fronto-temporal or bi-frontal craniotomies that are still frequently used at many Centers.

The eyebrow approach differs from a traditional craniotomy in that it requires less dissection of chewing muscle, much less bone removal and minimizes brain manipulation, thereby promoting a rapid recovery with less pain.
The cosmetic result is generally excellent. It is used instead of the expanded endonasal approach (EEA) when a tumor is too large or extending too far away from the midline or when the tumor is engulfing the optic nerves or large intracranial arteries.

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