Diagnosis of BFS is a "diagnosis of exclusion," in other words, other likely causes for the twitching (mostly forms of neuropathy, such as borreliosis (Lyme disease) neuropathy, motor neuron diseases such as ALS, etc) must be eliminated before BFS can be assumed. An important diagnostic tool here is the electromyography (EMG). Since BFS appears to cause no actual nerve damage (at least as seen on the EMG), a completely normal EMG (or one where the only abnormality seen is fasciculations) largely eliminates more serious disorders and strongly suggests BFS.
Unlike ALS, BFS symptoms are usually present when the muscle is at rest, and are not accompanied by severe muscle weakness.
Another abnormality commonly found upon clinical examination is a brisk reflex action known as ''hyperreflexia''. Standard laboratory tests are unremarkable. According to neurologist [http://neurology.medicine.iu.edu/facultyhtmls/kincaid.html John C. Kincaid]:
Adapted from the Wikipedia article Benign fasciculation syndrome, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
Benign fasciculation syndrome – Diagnosis
Diagnosis of BFS is a "diagnosis of exclusion," in other words, other likely causes for the twitching (mostly forms of neuropathy, such as borreliosis (Lyme disease) neuropathy, motor neuron diseases such as ALS, etc) must be eliminated before BFS can be assumed.
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