About 40% of all recurrent cholesteatomas are caused by retraction pockets in so called intact canal wall techniques. The author points out that in almost all of his publications the satisfactory closure of all defects of the posterior bony canal wall has been mentioned. Nevertheless it took about 15 years before cartilage reconstruction of all kinds of defects could be performed. Details of the technique are demonstrated by means of drawings. The practice of cartilage reconstruction as a routine procedure in cases with defects of the posterior bony wall will show that the rate of retraction pockets will go down in the very near future.