[An elderly woman with stiffness of the thumb].

A 81-year-old woman presented with progressive pain, stiffness and swelling of the right thumb. She also complained of dysphagia and Raynaud's phenomenon. Physical examination revealed sclerodactyly and telangiectasia. A plain X-ray showed marked calcifications of the flexor tendon of the right thumb and esophagography demonstrated decreased motility of the lower esophagus. Additionally, anticentromere antibodies were positive. As a result, the patient was diagnosed with calcinosis as a presenting symptom of limited systemic scleroderma.