A retrospective analysis of the medical records of all cases of cholesteatoma in children treated between 1981 and 1996 was performed. The charts of 59 children with cholesteatoma were reviewed. A total of 62 ears received surgery over 15 years. The median follow-up period was 5 years. There were 132 operations. An intact canal wall (ICW) procedure was performed in 29% of the ears in the first stage, a canal wall down (CWD) procedure in 37%, a transmeatal atticotomy (TA) in 21%, a tympanoplasty (T) in 6.5% and a myringoplasty (M) in 6.5% of the ears. The ICW procedure had a higher rate of residual/recurrent cholesteatoma than did CWD (P=0.8), TA (P=0.4), T (P=0.5), and M (P=0.05). The CWD procedure had a lower rate than TA (P=0.7), but a higher rate than T (P=0.6) and M (P=0.09). Lastly, TA had a higher rate than T (P=0.7) and M (P=0.1). Auditory results were similar for type II and type III reconstructions (P=0.5). An air-bone gap of less than 20 dB was achieved in 51% of the ears, and 80% had a gap of less than 40 dB. We found a clear difference, although not statistically significant, in the personal rate of recurrent cholesteatoma. It was 26% for surgeons who had performed more than 350 otological surgeries and fell to 15% for the most-experienced surgeon (1715 operations). It rose to 34% for the less experienced surgeons (P=0.8). We recommend that surgery for children with cholesteatoma be reserved for experienced surgeons.