University of Minnesota Receives $50 Million Gift for New Children's Hospital

Amplatz is one of the fathers of interventional radiology, yet "in many ways, Kurt is kind of unknown and unsung," said Dr. Frank Cerra, the university's senior vice president for health sciences, at a ceremony honoring the donation.

Using an ordinary needle and polyethylene tubing in 1958, Amplatz performed one of the world's first percutaneous catheterizations and helped pave the way for minimally invasive surgeries and procedures.