Prinsloo-Gordon artefact (hemorrhage) is a postmortem dissection artefact of the neck that can falsely resemble antemortem bruising, particularly bruising associated with strangulation.

Prevention: Perform a careful layer-by-layer neck dissection after vascular decompression, commonly after opening the thoracoabdominal cavities and removing the heart, so venous congestion has drained.

Forensic significance: A suspected neck hemorrhage should be assessed in its anatomical context and with the dissection sequence documented. A hemorrhage that appears only after dissection of congested tissue should not be attributed automatically to antemortem violence. The original description is by Prinsloo and Gordon (1951), as reviewed in this autopsy pitfalls paper.