Baseline characteristics of total patients.

This study aimed to evaluate factors that predict lymph node metastasis (LNM) in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). This retrospective cross-sectional study compared the demographic, clinical, and ultrasonographic findings of patients with PTC with and without LNM. Subgroup analysis was conducted for micro-PTCs (n = 512; mean age, 47.3 ± 12.7 years) and micro-PTC patients (n = 312), 35.7% and 19.6% had LNM, respectively. Younger age, male sex, tumor size, bilaterality, and suspicious ultrasound features of the tumor were associated with LNM. In multiple logistic regression analysis, among all patients, age, tumor size, and extrathyroidal extension were independent risk factors for LNM (all pp