diff --git a/src/Analyser/MutatingScope.php b/src/Analyser/MutatingScope.php
index a43ba35dda5..bde1d432d31 100644
--- a/src/Analyser/MutatingScope.php
+++ b/src/Analyser/MutatingScope.php
@@ -3562,6 +3562,9 @@ private function createConditionalExpressions(
 
 		$typeGuards = [];
 		foreach ($newVariableTypes as $exprString => $holder) {
+			if ($holder->getExpr() instanceof VirtualNode) {
+				continue;
+			}
 			if (!array_key_exists($exprString, $mergedExpressionTypes)) {
 				continue;
 			}
@@ -3588,6 +3591,9 @@ private function createConditionalExpressions(
 		}
 
 		foreach ($newVariableTypes as $exprString => $holder) {
+			if ($holder->getExpr() instanceof VirtualNode) {
+				continue;
+			}
 			if (
 				array_key_exists($exprString, $mergedExpressionTypes)
 				&& $mergedExpressionTypes[$exprString]->equals($holder)
diff --git a/tests/bench/data/bug-14452.php b/tests/bench/data/bug-14452.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..71a4852ccad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/bench/data/bug-14452.php
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+<?php declare(strict_types = 1);
+
+namespace Bug14452;
+
+use function PHPStan\Testing\assertType;
+
+class MyBag
+{
+
+	public function getInt(string $key): int
+	{
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	public function has(string $key): bool
+	{
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	/** @return bool|float|int|string|null */
+	public function get(string $key)
+	{
+		return null;
+	}
+
+}
+
+class Shared
+{
+
+	public static function calculateThings(
+		?int $type,
+		float $hours,
+		float $minutes,
+		float $seconds,
+		?float $hourlyRate,
+		?float $flatFee,
+		?float $minimumCost,
+	): float
+	{
+		return 0.0;
+	}
+
+}
+
+/**
+ * Performance test: many possibly-impure method calls inside conditional branches
+ * should not cause exponential blowup in conditional expression creation.
+ */
+function test(MyBag $input): void
+{
+	$prestatie = rand(0, 1) === 0;
+
+	$seconds = null;
+	$minimum_seconds = null;
+	$seconds_worked = null;
+	$minutes = null;
+	$minimum_minutes = null;
+	$minutes_worked = null;
+	$hours = null;
+
+	$minimum_hours = null;
+	$hours_worked = null;
+	$hourly_rate = null;
+
+	$flat_fee = round($input->getInt('flat_fee'), 2);
+	$minimum_cost = round($input->getInt('minimum_cost'), 2);
+
+	if ($prestatie) {
+		$seconds = $seconds_worked = $input->getInt('seconds_worked');
+		$minutes = $minutes_worked = $input->getInt('minutes_worked');
+		$hours = $hours_worked = $input->getInt('hours_worked');
+
+		$minimum_seconds = $input->getInt('minimum_seconds');
+		$minimum_minutes = $input->getInt('minimum_minutes');
+		$minimum_hours = $input->getInt('minimum_hours');
+
+		if ($input->has('different_billing_time')) {
+			$different_billing_time = 1;
+			$seconds = $input->getInt('seconds');
+			$minutes = $input->getInt('minutes');
+			$hours = $input->getInt('hours');
+		}
+
+		$hourly_rate = round($input->getInt('hourly_rate'), 2);
+
+		$subtotal = Shared::calculateThings(
+			$input->get('prestation_type'),
+			$hours,
+			$minutes,
+			$seconds,
+			$hourly_rate,
+			$flat_fee,
+			$minimum_cost,
+		);
+	}
+
+	$subtype = $prestatie ? $input->getInt('prestation_type') : $input->getInt('cost_type');
+	assertType('int', $subtype);
+	assertType('float', $flat_fee);
+	assertType('float', $minimum_cost);
+}