[Tracheal Intubation via the i-gel and the Aintree Intubation Catheter in a Patient with Unexpected Difficult Intubation].

A 64-year-old man was scheduled for radical sinus operation. Preoperatively, we did not expect difficult airway. We induced general anesthesia, and ventilation via facemask was adequate, but tracheal intubation using a Macintosh laryngoscope was difficult (Cormack-Lehane classification III). We inserted the i-gel, and a fiberoptic bronchoscope covered with the Aintree Intubation Catheter (AIC), was passed through the i-gel to the trachea. We removed i-gel and fiberscope, leaving the AIC in place, and could easily advance a reinforced tube over the AIC into the trachea. Fiberoptic tracheal intubation via the i-gel and AIC is useful in a patient with difficult intubation.