You no longer have the discomfort of a hernia or the risk of intestinal entrapment. There are some risks when you have general anesthesia. Discuss these risks with your doctor. A local anesthetic may not numb the area quite enough and you may feel some minor discomfort. Also, in rare cases, you may have an allergic reaction to the drug used in this type of anesthesia.
Local anesthesia is considered safer than general anesthesia.
The nerve that runs along the inguinal canal may be damaged. This could make the area from the thigh to the groin numb. In men, a vas deferens may be damaged. This could make a man sterile if the other vas deferens were also hurt. In men the testicle may swell after the surgery and be uncomfortable.