The first plane is the venous plane and consists of the retromandibular vein and its tributaries and branchesDeep to venous plane is the impoant nervous plane. The impoance of this plane is the presence of the facial (VII) nerve. The facial nerve leaves the skull through the stylomastoid foramen and immediately enters the deep pa of the parotid gland where it gives off its branches:Posterior auricularMotor branch to posterior belly of digastricTemporal branchZygomatic branchBuccal branchesMandibular branchCervical branchDeep to the nerves lies the aerial plane which includes terminal pas of the external carotid aery and its branches:External carotid aeryOccipital aeryMaxillary aeryTransverse facial aerySuperficial temporal aeryThe deepest pa of the parotid region is the parotid bed and houses the deep pa of the gland which fills the small space between the neck of the condyle of the mandible and the mastoid process. Other structures forming the floor of this space are the:Styloid processStylohyoid muscleStylopharyngeus musclePosterior belly of the digastric muscle