[Airway management in a patient with lower lip squamous cell carcinoma after radical surgical resection]

General anesthesia was scheduled in a patient who had undergone radical surgical resection because of his lower lip squamous cell carcinoma. His oral area had been reconstructed drastically and this pathological change indicated difficulties of mask fitting, mask ventilation and laryngoscopic intubation. Before induction of general anesthesia, we performed fiberbronchoscopic transnasal awake intubation. The patient's condition was stable during both intubation and operation. At the end of anesthesia, the tracheal tube was removed after the patient had become fully awake and had recovered completely from neuromuscular brockade. In conclusion, it is important to evaluate and recognize the difficult airway preoperatively. When this is suspected, awake intubation should be chosen to secure and guarantee the airway.