A brief overview of the standard theory of line broadening is presented together with an analysis of laser driven implosion experiments. The relation of the experimental analysis to improvements in theoretical procedures is discussed. The experiments described were performed at the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) and at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The results presented illustrate the usefulness of plasma line broadening in providing diagnostic capabilities and an understanding of the fundamental plasma processes.