In 1977, the selective coronary catheter which was developed and introduced by Dr. Andreas Gruentzig and his colleagues in Zurich, was first proposed as a therapeutic tool for the dilatation of obstructions in the coronary arteries. Initial reports on the technique were enthusiastic and many teams began to evaluate the procedure. In March 1979, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute initiated an interim registry on PTCA to expedite the evaluation of the technique and in December 1979 released a Request for Proposals to established a formal registry. A contract was awarded in August 1980 to the University of Pittsburgh.