Of 29 reviewed ultrastructural studies of adenoid cystic carcinoma, on
ly 1 mentions the presence of annulate lamellae. The present report de
scribes a 65-year-old woman who presented with an adenoid cystic carci
noma in her left maxillary sinus. At the light microscopic level, most
of the connective tissue was loose and myxomatous and contained fine
strands, cords, and islands of epithelium that in places had a cribrif
orm pattern. The ultrastructural appearance was similar to that descri
bed by others. Two epithelial cell types predominated. The cytoplasm o
f one type contained mainly ribosomes, and that of the other type also
had peripheral microfilaments. Also present were pseudocysts, lumina
with microvilli, and replicated basal lamina. In addition, a number of
both types of cells contained parallel arrays of cisternae that had r
egular small pores. These were annulate lamellae.