● It is a squamous epithelial cell that has undergone a number of structural changes, which occur as a result of infection of the cell by human papillomavirus.
● Koilocytosis or koilocytic atypia or koilocytotic atypia are terms used in histology and cytology to describe the presence of koilocytes in a specimen.
● Koilocytes may have the following cellular changes:
a) Nuclear enlargement (two to three times normal size)
b) Irregularity of the nuclear membrane contour
c) darker than normal staining pattern in the nucleus, known as Hyperchromasia
d) A clear area around the nucleus, known as a perinuclear halo.
