A healthcare provider may suspect senile cerebral amyloid angiopathy after the history and physical exam. Imaging studies of the brain, such as a cranial CT scan or cranial MRI, will show the bleeding into the brain. However, there are other causes of bleeding into the brain, such as high blood pressure. Examining a piece of the person's brain with a microscope is the only way to diagnose this condition. This is usually only done after death, during an autopsy.