Final answer:
The liver of a person who died from an acetaminophen overdose will likely show centrilobular necrosis, which is a common pattern of liver injury associated with the toxicity of acetaminophen metabolites.
Step-by-step explanation:
Postmortem histologic sections taken from the liver of a 19-year-old female who died from an overdose of acetaminophen would most likely show centrilobular necrosis. This type of liver damage is characteristic of acetaminophen toxicity due to its metabolization in the liver that leads to the formation of toxic metabolites affecting the centrilobular zone of the liver lobule, which surrounds the central vein. This area is particularly susceptible to injury due to its low oxygen content and high exposure to these metabolites.
Acetaminophen is normally broken down safely by the liver, but an overdose overwhelms the liver's ability to process the drug, resulting in the accumulation of toxic metabolites. These metabolites can cause severe damage to the liver cells, leading to necrosis, specifically in the centrilobular regions which have the highest exposure to them.