Analysis of risk factors and construction of a predictive model for contralateral occult carcinoma in patients with unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma

A tumor diameter >1 cm, proximity of the tumor to the isthmus, lateral neck lymph node metastasis, presence of contralateral benign nodules, and multifocality are independent risk factors for contralateral occult carcinoma in patients with unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma. The predictive model developed in this study demonstrates strong predictive ability for the occurrence of contralateral occult carcinoma in patients with unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma.