Table 3 Post-procedure complications and their potential causes

Cough, wheezing

Metal hypersensitivity reaction, Reinke’s edema;

excessive mucus or phlegm, infection

Difficulty in phlegm excretion

Stent-associated airway tissue damage, lumen expansion, or airway mucous membrane irritation

Ulcer of the tracheal mucosa

Tissue damage by radiation or stent

Chest pain

Airway inflammation, endothelial cell injury and ischemia following the procedure; over-size stent resulted in over expansion of airway lumen

Fever and hemoptysis

Tissue injury by the ends of stent, or compression of the peripheral blood vessels by stent that could result in vessel wall necrosis and rupture

Airway infection

Stent restenosis caused airway obstruction, difficulty in phlegm excretion

Secondary airway stenosis

Granulation tissue hyperplasia after the stent

implantation

Temporal dysphonia or pharyngitis

Mucosal edema

Tracheal adventitia rupture followed by tumor infiltration into the mediastinal space

Maloperation of stent placement procedure

Stent restenosis

Tumor re-growth due to insufficient energy of ¹²⁵I or hyperplasia of granulation tissue at the ends of the stent or infiltration through stent mesh