Atrophy

Cytologic features:

• Flat, monolayer sheets of parabasal-like cells
• Dispersed parabasal-like cells may predominate
• Nuclear polarity preserved
• Generalized nuclear enlargement (up to 3-5 times the area of an intermediate cell nucleus)
• Slight increase in n:c ratio
• Mild hyperchromasia
• Elongated nuclei
• Chromatin uniformly distributed
• Nucleoli may be present
• Blue blobs:
• Globular collections of amorphous basophilic material
• Chromatin streaming more predominant than usual – thin lines of chromatin
• Degenerated orangeophilic or eosinophilic parabasal cells with pyknotic nuclei may be present