Step 1: The scutum is a thin, shield-shaped plate of bone in the middle ear. It forms the upper part of the lateral (outer) wall of the tympanic cavity.
Step 2: The lateral wall of the middle ear is largely formed by the tympanic membrane, with the scutum bounding the attic (epitympanum) above the membrane. Hence the answer is lateral wall.
Step 3: The scutum is an important landmark, because its erosion on imaging is an early sign of an acquired cholesteatoma in the attic region.
Step 4: The roof (tegmen tympani), the medial wall (with the promontory and oval window) and the floor (jugular wall) do not contain the scutum, so they are incorrect.