Diffuse Pulmonary Granulomatous Disease in the Dog

Diffuse pulmonary granulomatous disease is an animal model of interstitial lung disease that is produced by intravenous injection of complete Freund's adjuvant. The disease is characterized by granulomas interspersed with normal lung parenchyma. In the present study, diffuse pulmonary granulomatous disease was induced in dogs; the animals were killed, and the lungs were excised for physiologic and morphologic studies. The pressure-volume characteristics of excised lungs were determined during inflation and deflation with air, and during inflation with saline. The extent of the disease was assessed from a morphologic score and from the ratio of lung weight to body weight. In diffuse pulmonary granulomatous disease, the morphologic score correlated well with the ratio of lung weight to body weight. The observed total lung capacity was decreased by the disease, and was correlated inversely with the morphologic score. The compliance of lungs with diffuse pulmonary granulomatous disease was lower than normal w...