['The use of thyroid lobectomy in the treatment of unilateral, benign nodules is limited by the potential of nodular recurrence in the remaining lobe. This study aimed to assess the rate and clinical impact of nodular recurrence in the contralateral lobe after thyroid lobectomy and to identify predictive factors of recurrence.', 'Single-centre retrospective study.', 'Records of patients that underwent lobectomy for unilateral thyroid nodules between 1991 and 2010 were reviewed and 270 patients were included. Exclusion criteria were: presence of contralateral nodule(s) ≥5\xa0mm on preoperative ultrasound, diagnosis of cancer necessitating completion thyroidectomy or pseudonodules. Recurrence was defined as the occurrence of nodule(s) ≥5\xa0mm in the remaining lobe on at least one postoperative ultrasound. A set of clinical, imaging, histological and biochemical parameters was tested as predictors of recurrence using logistic regression.', 'After a median follow-up of 78\xa0months (range, 12-277\xa0months), the global recurrence rate was 42% and recurrence of nodules of a size ≥1\xa0cm occurred in 19%. Reoperation rate was 1·1%. 90% of patients were treated postoperatively by levothyroxine. Median time to nodular recurrence was 4\xa0years. Preoperative contralateral lobe volume and resected thyroid weight were identified as significant predictors of recurrence (P\xa0=\xa00·045 and P\xa0=\xa00·03 respectively).'] Is thyroid lobectomy an effective option for unilateral benign nodular disease?