Piecemeal necrosis generally refers to a necrosis

Necrosis

Necrosis is the premature death of cells in living tissue. Necrosis is caused by factors external to the cell or tissue, such as infection, toxins, or trauma. This is in contrast to apoptosis, which is a naturally occurring cause of cellular death...

 that occurs in fragments.

Liver

When used in relation to the liver

Liver

The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...

, piecemeal necrosis (also termed troxis necrosis, nibbling necrosis and interface necrosis) refers specifically to a loss and degeneration of hepatocytes at the lobular-portal-interface, producing a moth-eaten irregular appearance. Piecemeal necrosis of the liver is associated with a lymphocytic infiltrate into the adjacent parenchyma, and with destruction of individual hepatocytes along the edges of the portal tract.

It is a feature of viral hepatitis

Viral hepatitis

Viral hepatitis is liver inflammation due to a viral infection. It may present in acute or chronic forms. The most common causes of viral hepatitis are the five unrelated hepatotropic viruses Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D, and Hepatitis E...

 as well as autoimmune hepatitis

Autoimmune hepatitis

Autoimmune Hepatitis is a disease of the liver that occurs when the body's immune system attacks cells of the liver. Anomalous presentation of human leukocyte antigen class II on the surface of hepatocytes, possibly due to genetic predisposition or acute liver infection, causes a cell-mediated...

 and steatohepatitis

Steatohepatitis

Steatohepatitis is a type of liver disease, characterized by inflammation of the liver with concurrent fat accumulation in liver...

.