To develop and validate a high-accuracy tool for preoperatively assessing the risk of central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) in patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), thereby improving clinical decision-making.
Key Findings:
Five independent predictors of CLNM identified: age <46.5 years, male sex, capsular contact ≥50%, peritumoral hyperechogenicity, and heterogeneous echotexture.
The combined clinical-radiomics nomogram achieved an AUC of 0.900 in the validation set, outperforming the clinical model alone (AUC: 0.857 in training set).
Interpretation:
The clinical-radiomics nomogram provides a superior non-invasive pre-operative risk assessment tool for CLNM in PTMC patients, optimizing treatment strategies and improving patient management.
Limitations:
Retrospective design may introduce selection bias and confounding factors.
Single-center study limits generalizability of findings.
Conclusion:
The proposed nomogram enhances preoperative risk assessment for CLNM in PTMC, aiding in the decision-making process for treatment strategies and improving patient outcomes.
