Locations
Office
Portland, OR
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Insurances accepted
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LifeWise Health Plan of Oregon
Office
Portland, OR
Office
Portland, OR
About
Bio
My neurosurgery practice is focused at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in the neurosurgery subspecialties of:
1. NeuroTrauma and NeuroCritical Care -Surgical treatment of head injury and specific types of stroke -Neurological ICU management with multimodal brain monitoring (ICP, Brain oxygen, Brain flow, Brain chemistry)
2. Brain Tumors (both primary and metastatic) -Surgical treatment using modern neurosurgical techniques (neuronavigation, Awake Craniotomies, Brainpath) -Radiosurgery techniques using Gamma Knife (framed technique) and Novalis(frameless technique) technologies 3. Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
I actively participate in local and national/international research and clinical trials in these fields. I am active in local supprot groups for these patients.
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Neurosurgery
Doctor Q&A
704 Answers
305 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
CT, LP: Start with the clinical symptoms which are usually headache. The classic symptom is the "worst headache" of one's life. Cat scans are very good for de... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed Nov 01, 2021
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Guarded, but depends: The hypothalamus is a critical region and a stroke-either hemorrhagic or ischemic can have profound symptoms. It depends on the extent and size of the... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Possibly: It sounds like you are losing weight intentionally. This may suggest back and disc disease which leads to the symptoms. With respect to the lumbar dra... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Check with doctor: This is typically not related directly to the brain tumor. It sounds like this is a reaction either to radiation or chemotherapy. Check with your phys... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Possibly: Tbi can affect the nerves that control the movement of the eyes. This can lead to double vision.
Also double vision can occur because of direct injur... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
No: Gliomas arise from brain astrocytes, ependyma cells(lines the ventricles), or oligodendrocytes (cells that make the coverings of nerves). The most com... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
See your doctor: This is an unusual symptom. There are brain tumors of the temporal lobe that can lead to olfactory auras or hallucinations. Patients typically descri... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Seek medical help: Without knowing specifics, its hard to say. But speaking with your family doctor may help to direct the course of diagnostic studies if any. There are... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Different situations: It depends on the clinical situation. If there is a mass lesion in the brain that causes a differential pressure between the supratentorial and infrat... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 52-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Depends on tumor : The questions seems to be if you had a 13 cm tumor removed, how long has it been present? That would depend on the type of tumor. Non-cancerous tumors... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 25-year-old female asked:
How does ionizing radiation increase the chance of meningiomas even long after the initial exposure?
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Mutations: Ionizing radiation such as used in the past for tinea capitis (ringworm of the scalp) has been shown to have an increased incidence of meningiomas. It... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Nerves in dura: It is true that there are no nerves in the brain that sense pain. However, there are nerves in the linings of the brain, the dura that have pain modal... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Depends on the stage: Chemotherapy is a useful adjunct in the treatment of stomach cancers. However, this depends in part on the stage of the cancer. Cancers that are local... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 29-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Long term control: A grade i glioma is low grade. They are more common in the pediatric population. They tend to be indolent and very slow growing. The pilocytic varian... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Teflon: Generally for a microvascular decompression an inert substance like a sterile teflon pledget is used to pad the nerve. This helps to shield the nerv... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Yes: Memory loss is the most common symptom of alzheimer's. However, alzheimer's dementia refers to a global decline in cognitive abilities. Problems with ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Can be cumulative: Most patients recover from a single concussion with little neurological sequelae. However, multiple concussions can lead to long term effects such as ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Still debated: There is a lot of data that suggests that cavernous malformations are not effectively treated by stereotactic radiosurgery. Surgery is the preferred t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Have it checked: There may be local nerve damage if there was a large bruise over the eyebrow. There may also be an underlying skull fracture. Generally this is from ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Unknown: It is not known what causes acoustic neuromas. There certainly are some syndromes like neurofibromatosis type ii where there are known genetic alterat... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Depends: If everything is healed up and there have been no neurological sequelae, it should be fine. If the neurological status has returned to normal and ther... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Yes: There are devices that can measure brain performance to a certain extent. For example, eegs are used to measure brain activity. Electrodes placed on t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 17-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Neck CT: The neck (n) ct scan that you refer to is best for defining the boney structures of the neck. This is not likely to show the area of nerve pinching in... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Good question: Neurological disoders is a broad term referring to diseases or disorders that affect the nervous systems. This may include stroke, brain tumor, head i... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Most likely: This would depend on the nature of the cranioplasty. At this time, many of the bone flaps that are placed are made via computer modeling of a syntheti... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 20-year-old male asked:
My hands get randomly hot or weird tingling sensation, then turns red in area, or red lines show up.
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Hard to tell: You should have this evaluated for nerve problems such as carpal tunnel or raynaud's phenomenon. You doctor is best able to tell when they actually se... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 84-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Unlikely: The cause of your anemia is not likely to be from an avm of the brain. There are numerous other potential causes. These should be worked up. The othe... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
CardioVascular: Cv disease generally refers to cardiovascular disease. These are diseases that involve the heart and blood vessels. This includes heart attacks and co... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Cerebrovascular : Cerebrovascular disease isto disease of the vessels foind in the brain. This is most usually in reference to stroke where there is the buildup of arte... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 49-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
CT scans: Ct scans are better for showing fractures, particularly older fractures. They will show up as areas of increased density or callous on the ct scans an... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 17-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
For the best study: For brain tumors, a ct scan of the head without and with contrast best delineates the tumor. To check for an aneurysm, contrast is needed for the ct-a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Pubmed: If your are looking for very technical information, the best is to go to the original research articles. Those that are in pubmed are peer reviewed. M... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Yes: The fact that there are different types of cancers-ie.Brain, lung, breast, colon, pancreas- to name just a few tells us that the cancerous tumors can ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Unclear: It depends on the characteristics of the "black holes" that you see on the mri. Although they are in the white matter, there are some characteristic a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 44-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Should be followed: This depends on the size of the area of concern. Also, is there any contrast enhancement associated with it? If there is, that is more concerning. Som... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 20-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Possibly: Cushing's disease leads to excessive steroid production by the body. This can lead to skin disease and acne type symptoms. Not certain why it is loca... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 33-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Prepare the house: It sounds as though you have some paralysis with the cerebral palsy. The best way to stay healthy is to prepare your new housed in such a way that it ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 19-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Rotator cuff: It is possible to have rotator cuff problems with normal x-rays.An MRI scan is more sensitive. It is unusual for a young person to have problems with ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Have it checked out: It sounds like you have a series of "lumps" or lymph nodes that are painful particularly on your left side. You should have it checked out to make sur... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Congenital: Cerebral avms are a "tangle" of arteries and veins that a person is born with. These can present with associated neurologic symptoms (weakness) or se... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Good question: Most of the best data bases of information are set up by the different societies. The databases of information are linked to the literature. Thus, the... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Check with surgeon: Its hard to say. It depends on what was done and the extent of the surgery. It also depends on the number of levels fused, and if there are rods and s... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 53-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
It should not: The purpose of the coils was to obliterate the aneurysm from the inside. This will withstand the blood pressure pulsations from within and protect the... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 19-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Visualize her head: It is not unusual to have the sensation that the head is changing. That is because the scalp is full of nerves. If you are worried about the skull its... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Depends: A lot depends on the size of the cyst and if there is any associated enhancement on the MRI scan. There are many people who have benign cysts which ar... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Good question: This is something that you may want to have confirmed by an audiologist. Frequently, a person may have damage to certain hair cells that are responsib... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 28-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Radiation: X-rays are radiation and can have potential side effects such as an increased risk for cancers.A lot depends on the dose and what area was x-rayed.Mri... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Depends on location: An encephalocele is characterized by the outpouching of brain and its overlying meninges through a defect in the skull. This is the result of some pro... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 21-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Back spasms: The most common cause of low back pain in a young person is back strain or spasms. There are a large number of big muscles in the back that can be str... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A male asked:
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 36 years experience
Possibly: Depending on the type of cancer, anti-angiogenesis may be used. For example, with some primary brain cancers, Avastin (bevacizumab) is an angiogenesis... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
10
Recommendations
536
Thank you notes
Apr 24, 2013
Dr. Chen provides an exceptional public service on Healthtap. He is clearly extremely knowledgable about neurosurgery. I learn from reading the information he presents on health tap. I recommend Dr. C...Read More
Apr 22, 2013
Has always taken time for me when I've called to request help off him. Has always treated me as a respected colleague and I'm grateful to know he's there for me should my patients' needs arisenn
Jul 6, 2013
Dr. Chen provides articulate, helpful answers about complicated neurosurgical/neurological topics. He writes calmly and respectfully too. Thank you, Dr. Chen!
HealthTap member
This was very helpful. Thanks! My CT-scan had similar finding and I didn't understand any of it. Your response was very helpful because I do have trouble walking and a difficult time moving my left ar...Read More
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! Thank you! I was referencing pain that does move around her body, I will definitely schedule and appointment.
HealthTap member
Is there anything I should do or is time the only thing that heals this? I cracked the back of my skull, released from the icu without info.
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Graduated 1987MD
Medical/Graduate school
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Graduated 1987MD
Residency
University of California San Diego Medical Center
Residency
University of California San Diego Medical Center
Awards
Top Doctors, Portland Monthly Magazine
Thought Leader, Second Place, Portland, OR - Winter
2013
Top Neurosurgeon , Second Place, National - Winter
2013
Affiliations
American College of Surgeons
American Association of Neurological Surgeons / Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Cerebrovascular Section
Society of Critical Care Medicine
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