"All of his surgery was planned on a computer and all of the spare parts were 3D printed. This is where technology is taking this kind of surgery."
Technological improvements meant surgery results were now 100 per cent accurate and becoming increasingly accessible to the general public, he said.
"The cuts we need to make we do every day of the week, that's easy. The technology means you can do it anywhere. You could be in the smallest hospital in New Zealand and still do this.
"Because everything is 3D printed it's 100 per cent accurate so in many respects it's a lot easier than before 3D printing ... in many respects the final product is a lot more predictable than if the surgery had been done 20 or 30 years ago."
During Carlos' operation the surgical team worked together to shift his top and lower jaws to make the bones central, before adding customised titanium parts made in Belgium to restore symmetry in his face, he said.
"Using the 3D titanium printed technology it is [the first time in New Zealand] and it's the first time a case has been managed in this type of way in Australasia.
"It's always rewarding. This is life-changing surgery for people and I think the real testimony is when Carlos came back to see us several months after his surgery having completely healed and being extremely happy with his final result."
The 51-year-old, who hails from Waikato, completed his studies in Dunedin and has lived in Hawke's Bay for 13 years.
The scope of his specialty extends past congenital facial surgery to head and neck cancer, along with trauma involving assaults and car accidents.
Carlos' operation costs the taxpayer tens of thousands of dollars but was worth every cent due to the accuracy of results and rapid turnaround time, Dr Goodisson said.
"I think the point is that at the end of the day this is a young man who is not fulfilling his potential because of the way that he looks.
"I'm not sure what price you could put on him being set free to pursue his dreams after the stigma that he feels with his hemifacial microsomia."
Dr Goodisson said he most enjoyed the teamwork involved in such cases.
"I guess it's working with teams of people all towards a common goal and that's to fix things that aren't working well.
"The technology is available now to make a significant difference to people's lives. It's all about the 3D printing and digital planning of these cases."
There were already a few people walking around in Hawke's Bay with 3D printed titanium plates in their bodies and this number would only rise as the technology became more accessible, he said.
"The most exciting part is the potential to deliver accurate surgical results repeatedly. You can sit down and talk to patients about what their surgery is likely to be, give them a really good idea of what they will look like after the surgery and then deliver that. I expect the technology will be available locally fairly soon."
