*3.2. Recurrence-Free Survival in the 3:1 Matched Patient Group*

As tumor size, microscopic ETE, or LN metastasis could affect recurrence, we performed 3:1 propensity score matching and yielded 115 matched pairs. Table 2 shows the clinicopathological comparison between the 3:1 matched total thyroidectomy and ipsilateral thyroid lobectomy groups. The matched cohorts did not differ in terms of clinicopathological features, including tumor size, microscopic ETE, and LN metastasis.

**Table 2.** Comparison of clinicopathological characteristics between lobectomy and total thyroidectomy groups after matching.


ETE, extrathyroidal extension; LN, lymph node; NA, not applicable.

After adjusting for potential confounders, the overall recurrence rate was still comparable between the groups (1.4% vs. 1.7%; *p* = 0.826). RFS of the total thyroidectomy group (*p* = 0.647) also showed no significant difference from that of the lobectomy group (Figure 1b).
