These images show the most common changes associated with alcohol abuse.
The disparity between the typical cirrhosis of chronic viral hepatitis (small liver, big nodules) and alcoholic liver diseases (big liver, small nodules) is particularly evident here. Ironically, these patients were both autopsied the same day (photograph courtesy of T.H.Kent, M.D.)
Cirrhosis in alcohol related disease. The sinusoidal fibrosis is well established within this small regenerative nodule; this fibrosis may occupy only a small portion of the nodule (Klatskin, x 33).
Mallory bodies or alcoholic hyaline(stained red). Mallory bodies appear as irregular condensations of proteinaceous material within the cytoplasm of hepatocytes, commonly in cells that are undergoing ballooning degeneration. Alcoholic hyaline is highly variable in its appearance. It is thought to result from damage to the cytoskeleton of the hepatocyte, and is formed by an aggregation of damaged intermediate filaments.
Lipid droplets. When the lipid droplet becomes sufficiently large, the fat vacuole displaces and compresses the hepatocyte nucleus; the presence of macrovesicular fatty change is not specific for alcohol exposure (x80).