The derivation and validation of a prediction rule for differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules

Objective To set up a prediction rule for the pro-operative differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules and evaluate its clinical value.Methods All patients of thyroid nodules undergoing thyroid operations in Changzheng hospital from June,1997 to July,2012 were included in this study.They were randomly divided into the derivation cohort (2/3) and the validation cohort (1/3) .A prediction rule was developed based on the logistic regression model and the scoring system was established in accordance with assigning of the value of each