Which structure does the parotid gland wrap around, giving it its characteristic wedge shape?

Correct answer: D. The ramus of the mandible

• A. The STYLOID PROCESS and its muscles form part of the deep boundary of the parotid bed, but the gland does not wrap around it — the ramus is the structure it envelops.
• B. The ZYGOMATIC ARCH forms the SUPERIOR limit of the gland, not the axis it wraps around. Stensen's duct runs forward about a finger's breadth below the arch.
• C. The HYOID BONE lies well below and anterior to the parotid, related instead to the suprahyoid and infrahyoid musculature.
• D. CORRECT. The parotid gland is moulded around the posterior border of the RAMUS OF THE MANDIBLE. It fills the retromandibular fossa, wrapping around the ramus so that a superficial lobe overlies the masseter and ramus laterally while a deep lobe extends medially into the parapharyngeal space. Structures passing through the gland — from superficial to deep — are the FACIAL NERVE, the RETROMANDIBULAR VEIN and the EXTERNAL CAROTID ARTERY.

Note: Because the facial nerve runs THROUGH the gland, a benign parotid tumour typically does NOT cause facial palsy — the nerve is displaced, not invaded. New facial weakness with a parotid mass is a red flag strongly suggesting MALIGNANCY.