Does pressure cause liver cirrhosis? The sinusoidal pressure hypothesis

Figure 1 Liver fibrosis. A: Conventional sequence of fibrosis progression. Here, elevated liver stiffness (LS) is primarily regarded as correlate of matrix deposition (fibrosis stage); B: Macroscopic aspect of a cirrhotic liver in a patient with alcoholic liver disease (courtesy of C. Lackner, University of Graz). Note the large fibrous septa spanning through the whole organ which are clearly visible at the macroscopic level. In addition, a primary liver cancer (HCC) can be seen (green area). HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma; HSC: Hepatic stellate cells.