Once a recommendation has been made to have pituitary surgery, a patient will be seen by a nurse in the outpatient clinic. This visit is designed to prepare the patient for the surgery, being in the hospital and recovery at home after being discharged from the hospital.

Most patients will also have an a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain the day before or the day of surgery. During this MRI, small markers (fiducials) will be placed on the patient's forehead. These markers are used to register the MRI with a computer in the operating room. They should not be removed by the patient or family member.

Patients usually come to the hospital the morning of the surgery to be admitted. Family members and friends wait in the surgical waiting room during the surgery. The doctor will come to this area to talk to them when the surgery is done.