A patient has numbness that RESOLVED after implant placement surgery. Which type of nerve injury occurred?

Correct answer: D. Neuropraxia

• A. Incorrect. Axonotmesis involves damage to the axon while the nerve sheath is preserved — recovery is possible but slower (weeks to months) and incomplete.
• B. Incorrect. Neuralgia refers to nerve pain (often spontaneous) — it is not a classification of nerve injury severity.
• C. Incorrect. Neurotmesis is the most severe injury — complete nerve transection. Recovery does NOT occur without surgical repair and is often incomplete.
• D. Correct. NEUROPRAXIA is the mildest nerve injury — there is temporary blockage of nerve conduction (from compression, stretching, or heat) with NO structural damage to the axon or sheath. Recovery is COMPLETE and relatively rapid (days to weeks). This is the most common injury after implant surgery causing temporary numbness that fully resolves.