Multinucleated atypia

Vulva
Nonneoplastic disorders
Multinucleated atypia

Author: Monika Roychowdhury, M.D. (see Authors page)

Revised: 4 October 2017, last major update October 2013

Copyright: (c) 2002-2017, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.

PubMed Search: Vulvar multinucleated atypia

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Table of Contents

Definition / general | Case reports | Gross description | Microscopic (histologic) description | Negative stains

Cite this page: Roychowdhury, M. Multinucleated atypia. PathologyOutlines.com website. http://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/vulvamultinucleatedatypia.html. Accessed January 22nd, 2019.

Definition / general

Histologic pattern of multinucleated keratinocytes in basal and middle layers of squamous epithelium of vulva (Am J Surg Pathol 1994;18:1233)
May mimic human papillomavirus (HPV) related squamous dysplasia but not associated with HPV

Case reports

49 year old woman (Cutis 2005;75:118)

Gross description

May present as flesh colored vulvar papules

Microscopic (histologic) description

Multinucleated keratinocytes without significant nuclear atypia in lower to middle epithelial layers of otherwise normal appearing squamous epithelium
These multinucleated cells may contain 2 - 10 nuclei, often prominent nucleoli
No surface atypia, no hyperchromasia, no pleomorphism
No significant inflammation

Negative stains

HPV, HSV