Cirrhosis of liver. Light micrograph of a section through liver tissue, damaged by cirrhosis. Cirrhosis occurs as a result of a range of factors causing damage to liver function. The disease typically destroys hepatocyte liver cells and the normal morphology of the liver lobules. Conditions leading to cirrhosis include chronic alcoholism, hepatitis and obstruction of bile flow. Because the hepatocytes are naturally regenerative, agents that cause their death stimulate new hepatocyte growth seen here as oval-shaped nodules. A further feature of cirrhosis is excessive build up of fibrous tissue, resulting from over-production of collagen fibres. This all means the cirrhotic liver is resistant to blood flowing through it and therefore cannot perform it's